A Midsummer Nightmare
by Techne
Summary: During the summer of 98', grisly murders haunted the once peaceful community of Raccoon City. While the police department struggled to explain the bizarre killings that took place, Alyssa Ashcroft, a reporter for Raccoon Press, sought to uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths of its citizens and bring closure to their families. This is the story of what she discovered.
1. Chp One: The Ballad of Megan Ooue

**A Midsummer Nightmare**, by Techne.

Welcome guys, to what is the beginning of a very long story that I will be working on for the next few months. It will follow the events during the summer of 1998, and will detail the cannibal murders that take place before the events of the first game. My hopes for this story is to bring some insight on the events, and write a believable story on what happened to the victims during the crazy few months before the R.P.D. and S.T.A.R.S. Teams became involved in the case.

I'm sure a lot of you wonder why I chose Alyssa Ashcroft as the main character of this story rather than Chris or Jill, and that's a good question to which I have an answer. The reason I chose Alyssa is because that since she is a reporter for the Raccoon Times, she would have been one of the first people to begin looking into details of what was going on, and working diligently to crack the case on finding out who the cannibal killers were. Shes a determined reporter, and beneath her layers, she actually cares about the well being of others. Plus, shes a feisty lady, who doesn't love that? Any feedback is appreciated.

**Update (2/19/2015):** As per the suggestion of a reviewer, I have gone through and edited some of the sentencing structure. Although I doubt I got all of what they were speaking about, I did what I could, and am now moving on to continue Chapter Two.

**Chapter One: The Ballad of Megan Ooue**

_Arklay Mountains – Outskirts of Raccoon City._

_May 18th, 1998._

Rays of sunlight beamed down through the thick foliage of the tall trees, casting a brilliant glow on the bed of the forest below. Animals ran through the underbrush, skittering wildly in search of food before night fell to avoid predators. The chirping of birds filled the air, flapping their wings as they moved from tree to tree. Some could also be heard singing the songs of the forest, an attraction that caught the attention of so many tourists every summer.

A young woman's boots pressed firmly into the soft dirt as she made her way down the hiking trail, taking in the splendor that the Arklay Mountains had to offer. The brisk, mid-day air was blowing gently. A soft breeze roused the loose ponytail that her dark hair was tied up in, providing her perspired skin with a cool relief from the otherwise heated summer day. Tilting her head skyward, she used one hand to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. She took note of its position, able to tell the time just by which side it stood on.

Her name was Megan Ooue, she was a student from the local college's botanical department in Raccoon City. Having decided to spend the summer studying the plant growth in the forest, she had come out every Wednesday to collect samples of rare plants. She would then be bringing them back to the college to study. Along with Megan was her mentor, Allen, whom lately she had not heard from. She chalked it up as nothing more than a busy schedule, so she decided to carry on with collecting samples without him.

The brim of the hat she wore cut out the sun's harsh view of her eyes. On occasion, she found that it kept her face from becoming sun burnt. The thin string around her neck tickled her skin, often times distracting her as she looked around.

As a young girl, Megan had always been intrigued by plant life. Her fascination with plants had led to her wanting to become a botanist when she got older. Getting a degree in botany and studying rare plants, it had been a dream of hers for as long as she could remember. Just three years after graduating from high school, she had found the opportunity to pursue this dream. Although her parents were concerned that she might be following the wrong career path, Megan had made her final decision.

Her parents, who both worked at the Umbrella Corporations main office, had wanted her to get a career in pharmaceuticals. Much to the chagrin of her parents, Megan had opted to follow her original plans.

Because of this, she had moved out on her own. Her parents had disowned her, cutting her off completely just because she would not follow the life that they had planned for her. It was very callous of them, thinking that they could tell her what she could do with her life. She was grown after all. It was her decision to become a botanist, they would just have to accept her choice and be happy for her.

Sadly, they could not even do that.

It did not bother her though. She had plenty of friends, and even a boy friend who worked at the local news station back in the city, that was all that Megan needed to make her happy.

This was most likely the last year she would be coming up here however.

She was in the final part of her college years, and would be graduating just next week.

She had no idea what she was going to do when she was done. However, she had been talking with one of her professors about a job at the Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Not her first choice. It was a start though, and she was not going to deny such generosity. There was also this very rare azalea at Callaway Gardens that she wanted to study, apart from others. As well, there were several other attractions that sounded stupendous when she thought about it.

Allen would be so proud, seeing his star pupil rising to such heights after the troubles that had plagued her the previous years because of her parents.

It had been Allen's generosity that had been able to help her stay in school.

He'd paid off her mounting tuition, as well as paying for her housing and the utilities. He expected nothing in return, only wanting to see her walk out with a diploma in her hands. It had awed her. Usually when someone helped another person out they always expected something in return. In this case sex had been her first thought, only to find out it was quite the opposite. It was because of this that Megan respected Allen so much, and considered him a good friend.

Coming to a stop where the trail forked and went in two different directions, she reached into her backpack and pulled out a map, examining it. It was a map of the mountains she was currently in. Thankfully, it made it easier for her to get around without getting lost. There were x's marked on the map in different colors, place holders for where she had found some remarkable plants that she planned to get samples of in the following week. Running a slender finger across the creased paper, a smile perked at the corner of her mouth. She then found her current location.

The Marble River was just up ahead, maybe another mile or two if she was correct. It was the location of a plant that she had spotted last week when she'd come out here.

Folding the map back up, Megan stuffed it back into her backpack and then continued on.

The trail was marred with years of foot prints from other hikers. Thick roots from a nearby tree ran across the middle of the trail, tripping up the unsuspecting hiker. Moss covered rocks and broken branch's were just a few of the decorations on the trail. She even noticed the remnants of old candy bar wrappers left behind by previous hikers. It made her shake her head slowly at how someone could so easily litter in a forest.

She remembered when she had been a teenager, coming out here to the mountains with her friends. They had spent the weekend at a cabin that her parents often rented during the winter for when they were on vacation. There was this spot just behind the clearing of the backyard of the cabin, where a patch of weeds kept a natural swimming hole hidden from humanity.

She and her friends had had an amazing summer that year, knowing that it would be their last before they all set out for college.

Up ahead of her, there was a tree stretching across the length of the trail. Its innards were hollowed out and she saw upon getting closer that a family of squirrel had made it into a home. Looking at the base of the tree, it was obvious to see that the source of the fallen tree had come from it being uprooted. The tree itself was quite old, its bark covered in moss and very old. She could tell its age by the rings that she could see from where she was standing at.

_What an ancient thing this one must have been_, She thought, running a hand across its rough bark and sighed, wondering what could have caused the tree to fall.

When she got the time for it later in the week, Megan made a mental note to come back and examine the tree a bit more thoroughly.

Pressing the palms of her hands on top of the moss, she swung one slender leg over the tree, and then followed immediately with the other one.

The dirt of the path ahead of her was uneven, and made hazardous by the sharp rocks that jutted up from the earthen soil. It was lucky that she had never gone jogging down this trail before. A visit to the city chiropractor after a fall on any of these rocks was less than desirable and she did not want to even think of how it would have affected her life now. At least they were easy to avoid, that much she was thankful for. In a matter of seconds she had moved past the majority of it, finding an even footing in the soil as she continued her journey onward.

To her right, she heard a twig snap. She turned her head to squint in the direction. What could that have been? She imagined that it was probably a deer or perhaps even a rabbit. Being this deep in the forest it would not surprise her to see either one.

It was probably looking for food. With all the cabins that had been built in the mountains since 92', it was pushing the wildlife even further up the mountain. Coincidentally, forcing some of them away from their natural habitat.

Reaching into her backpack, Megan pulled out a bag that contained her lunch. Pulling one of the carrots out of the bag, she held it out in one hand, extending it forward as she carefully walked over to the bushes. She did not want to scare the poor thing. She knew that if she approached to fast or if she made to much noise, the animal would likely run away.

Because of this, she was cautious.

She thought she could see it through the weeds. Its snout was buried down in the ground as it searched for nourishment. It was a vague outline due to the foliage that blocked her from being able to see it, but she moved forward anyways with her hand extended out for the deer to take the carrot.

However, when she was standing just on the other side of the foliage, Megan noticed something very odd about this deer.

To begin with, it wasn't even a deer at all.

What she had initially thought was a deer was nothing more than a wild animal that looked to be something right out of an H.P. Lovecraft book.

It looked to have once resembled a dog maybe, but there was no way to tell what kind. It's skin was rotting on its flesh, bones protruding from its stomach and forming what looked to be its rib cage. One of its ears was completely torn away, you could see a piece of its exposed brain hanging out. It's limbs were free of its skin, revealing the sinew of muscle beneath as it continued to eat what ever it was that it was eating.

Taking a step back, Megan was going to move as quietly away from the animal as she possibly could. She needed to find a forest ranger, let him know that there was some mutated beast out here in the woods. Judging from the look of its deformation, it probably had gotten into some radioactive water or something along the line. There was no reason for why it should look that way.

_Good god, its freaking decaying!_ She thought, barely able to understand the horrendous sight in front of her.

A twig breaking under her boots alerted the animal. It looked up from its meal, its beady red eyes centered on her. Megan felt her heart leap, the hair on the back of her neck standing as she looked it in its glowing orbs of death. It growled, leaning back on its haunches as it bared its jagged teeth at her, a hell hound incarnate from the darkest pits of hell.

A yelp of surprise escaped from Megan as she stumbled back. Tripping, she fell backwards on her ass as the hell hound leaped towards her, lunging at her with its exposed teeth. It missed her, of course, but only by a graze on her right shoulder. She turned her head, looking at the beast as it circled around the clearing, and back around to face her.

Saliva drooled down from its slightly open maw, pooling down on the dirt beneath it in a copious puddle. Its tongue flicked out and around its snout as it growled at her once more. Dipping low, its claws dug lightly into the dirt before it bounded forward and once again leaped at her, tackling her to the ground. Its front legs slammed into Megan's chest and threw her onto her back. The hiker barely had enough time to throw up her arm and catch it beneath its neck as it began snapping its teeth violently at her. Its face was inches from her own, struggling to hold the creature back and screamed in fear as she fought for her very life.

Putting one of her legs beneath the hound, she was able to use some of her own weight to her advantage, and flipped the beast through the air above her. Rolling onto her stomach, she watched as the beast sailed through the air. It smacked into the ground with a sickening crunch as its head completely twisted around. She just stared, watching as blood seeped from the destroyed neck if the monster and pooled around it.

Rising to her feet slowly, she walked over to the monster to get a better look at it and saw that it was indeed a dog. Or rather, it once had been a dog. She could tell by the small patch's of fur that still somehow clung to its sticky hide, Nothing she could think of could tell her as to why it was like this. There was no way it could be rabies or any other viral disease commonly found in canines. So, it had to be radioactivity as she had initially thought.

Or so that was what she believed.

It was a good thing the creature had not harmed her. She would have likely caught whatever its afflicted with otherwise.

She needed to head back to town. It was not safe here. Even now as she thought about it, Megan could already feel prying eyes on her.

_Its like somethings watching me..._

Without even thinking, she looked around quickly. Although she did not see anything, there was no doubt in her mind that something might be hiding out there.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face as she turned to walk back the way she'd come. She was going to have to come back another day, it was not safe to be in the woods at the moment.

Coming to a stop completely after taking a few steps, Megan was horrified to see another one of those monsters standing in the middle of the path.

It lowered down to the ground, its lips peeling back in a snarl as it bared its teeth at her.

She barely had time to turn and run before it gave chase to her.

Branch's whipped past her in a blur as she ran, its claws leaving scratch's on her pale skin as she ran down the trail at top speed. Behind her, the soft pattering of the hound giving chase gave her all the reason she needed to not get winded, knowing that she would meet her end otherwise.

Reaching the turn in the path, she took it in stride, losing her footing and slipping in the dirt. She caught herself as she was falling down though, hooking her fingers into the dirt and scrambling forward.

The hound behind her snapped its teeth, barely missing the tendon of her left heel as she regained her balance and continued running.

Just ahead of her was the Marble River. If she could make it there and cross it, then she knew that she would be safe. She also doubted that it would give chase to her. Odds were, the relatively strong current of the river would most certainly carry it away. The only problem she faced was getting there without it hurting her, not wanting to catch what ever it was the diseased animal had.

If worst came to it, she would fight against the animal and kill it. She had a survival knife in her belt (which she had completely forgotten about) and although she had never been one to want to hurt someone, Megan was not going to let herself fall victim to this thing. Even now, she could feel the handle of the knife digging into the soft flesh of her waist, softly pinching it even now and again. It barely registered due to the adrenaline that was pumping through her.

_Almost there._

A scream of pain ripped from deep in her throat, her body falling forward into the wet mud of the riverbank. The hounds teeth had clamped down in a solid bite over her Achilles tendon, shredding through the muscle like a knife on butter.

_No, no, no!_

She rolled over onto her back, using her other foot to kick the dog in the side of its head. The kick had forced it to release her foot, but not before taking her boot with it.

Reaching onto her belt, Megan pulled the knife from its sheath and aimed it at the dog, ready to kill it if it lunged at her.

Once the dog realized that there was nothing but blood inside of the boot, it turned its attention back to her and then charged at her. The young woman held the knife up, it landing on her chest as the blade sunk into its pelt in between its leg and shoulder blade. It did absolutely nothing however, as the dog sunk its teeth into her forearm, which she had used to block it from attacking her face. Shaking its head around, it began to tear at the soft flesh.

She let out a cry, snatching the blade from the dog and spraying blood all over herself as she tried to stab it in the face. Its teeth mangled her arm, ripping through the top layers of the skin and snapping the bone of her forearm. Fresh tears flowed from the corner of Megan's eyes as she continued to repeatedly stab the monster. It just wouldn't let go, its jaw was closed in an iron locked hold onto her

Biting her bottom lip, it was all she could do not to scream in bloody murder from the broken bone. She watched in horror as dark blood began to pool from between the canines teeth. She shook her arm, trying with all her might to get the thing to release her. Her arm was already beginning to lose feeling, although that did not stop her from feeling the full brunt of the pain, especially when she began to hear the sound of flesh being ripped from bone. The canine yanked its head away from her forearm as it brought a chunk of flesh with it between its teeth.

Watching in horror as the canine scarfed down the bit of meat from her arm, Megan's vision was beginning to blur and go dark around the edges.

She needed to move, to get away while it was distracted and hopefully have enough strength left to make it across the river.

Slowly turning, she began to crawl across the river bank, trying to get into the river and escape. Tears streamed down her cheeks, ignoring the streaks of agonizing pain that vibrated through her broken arm and leg every time that she moved her limbs, but she found through it and kept on moving. She could already feel the water beneath her fingers, the gentle pull of the rivers current cool to the touch.

_Come on, just a little further..._

Her breathing escaping in ragged sobs as her arms entered into the rushing water, and pressing into the pebbles at the bottom.

Behind her, the dog turned its head in her direction, alerted to its prey trying to make its escape.

It threw its head back, a haunting howl escaping from its torn throat and echoing around them. A moment later, a chorus of howls followed and the pitter-patter of footsteps. The rustling of a bush behind the hound announced the arrival of two more of the beasts. They both looked just as bad as the other, if not worse. Each sported its own grotesque decomposing feature.

They tore into the open wound of Megan's left ankle, the sound of flesh ripping apart could be heard as she was dragged back up the shore, kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs. A moment later, and she could no longer feel the pain in her left foot. Turning over, she faced the monsters with what little energy she had left. Her eyes widened, realizing why exactly it was that she no longer felt the pain. Just below the shin, her entire left foot was gone, leaving behind nothing but a bloody stump.

She continued to watch as the three hounds fought over who would get the piece of meat. All she could do was use the rest of her strength to try to stay awake and not fall into the welcoming embrace of slumber that was calling her name. She needed to keep herself awake, to try to get away, but found that she no longer could.

Looking up, Megan stared at the blue sky. Her breathing began to slow, being shallow with each passing second. Her motor functions began to shut down. She could no longer move, and based on the pain that was spiking up her leg, she found herself not wanting to anyways. Death was coming for her, she did not welcome it. However, her body told her that it was inevitable, and so, she was not going to fight it any longer.

Blood was now pooling around her legs, soaking her clothing a dark red.

_My blood_, she thought weakly. There was so much of it, the coppery smell of it lingering around her nose as she smelled the strong odor in the air. Any minute now, there would be enough of it pooled around her legs, and she would die from it. Funny, how a person could die from something that when measured next to another liquid, seemed so insignificant.

Taking in one final, ragged breath, she gave herself over to death.

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**For months now, I have been trying to find something to work with, something that I can write and at the same time, enjoy writing it. Coming up short each time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all of my work, but I just feel so out of place with everything that I have been working with as of late. There's just no passion there that I felt with anything like that that I've been around for years (Resident Evil being the main one) and so I've finally decided to just say poppycock to it all, and go with what my gut is telling me. I hope you guys can forgive that, and work with me as I continue to work on this story.**


	2. Chp Two: The Nine to Five

**Chapter Two: The Nine to Five**

_May 19th, 1998._

_1:58 P.M._

**Update (3/16/2015):** Added some extra stuff, and tweaked some of the paragraphs. Nothing to big, but felt it needed to be done.

The Raccoon Press office building was just ahead of her, Alyssa Ashcroft glanced at her watch as she began to jog towards the entrance. Grabbing the handle of the door as it was about to close, she threw it open, and stepped inside. Running a hand through her messy hair, she tried to make herself look more presentable. She walked through the lobby and towards the stairs, nodding to the receptionist who waved as she passed by.

She was late.

It should not have been surprising. Anyone knew knew her knew that she had a terrible habit for never being on time.

Already, she could hear the shouting of her boss from the second floor. Well aware of the consequences, she continued up the stairs. Entering through the door that led into the second floor office, she walked past several cubicles until she came to her own. Sitting down at her desk, she opened up the filing cabinet next to her feet. Digging through the files, she tried to locate a folder that her boss had expected to find on his desk first thing in the morning.

From somewhere off, a door was thrown open, slamming shut a moment later. Following it were footsteps. Footsteps that happen to be growing closer, to which she tried to ignore as she continued her search. Being late back from her lunch at Grill 13 had caused considerable complications. There were sure to be problems. Her boss was not a patient man, and expected deadlines to be met. He also did not like to have to remind his employees of this either. Something that she was about to find out first hand.

"Miss Ashcroft," A voice called out, prompting her to look up from what she was doing.

Standing in front of her was her boss, Perry Jameson. He was dressed in an off white business suit, minus the expensive jacket. The wrinkles on his face matched the personality of the man, an ugly sore through and through. Still, the man was her boss. As much as she hated the guy, she forced on a smile. He at least looked to be in a good mood, which was rare. Maybe she wouldn't lose her job after all as she had first thought.

"Hi, Perry. How was your lunch?" It was best to make small talk, keep it simple enough that he might overlook the absence of her article for tomorrows paper.

"Clearly not as good as yours it would seem," He replied sourly. "Did you think you being late back to the office would go unnoticed?"

She remained silent.

It had not really been her intention to be late, but then again, skipping out on the bill was against the law. Grill 13 was a popular place, and had been crowded while she was there. She had been fortunate not to have her order ruined, it was that busy. Be that as it may, she also doubted that Perry would care for her explanation.

"Despite the fact of my reputation Miss Ashcroft," He began. She already was not liking where this was going. "I can dismiss this in the light that you actually have your article to turn in. Now, where is it?"

"About that..." She trailed off. There really was no way she could but it. Taking in a deep breath of air, she decided to come clean. "Perry, I don't have enough information to write an accurate column. I need more time."

"More time?" He repeated. "For what!?"

Sighing, she produced a folder from the filing cabinet and handed it to him.

Opening the folder, he flipped through the papers. She dreaded what he would say when he noticed the lack of information. The old coot could be such a bastard, and she really couldn't afford to be fired.

"There's barely any documents here," He commented. Handing the folder back to her, Perry gave her a once over. "Miss Ashcroft, if you can not perform your job, I will find someone who can. Do not make me regret having hired you."

"Thank you, sir. I won't let you down." She said through gritted teeth. The urge to punch the smug bastard in the face rose up, but she quickly pushed it back down. It would do her no good to get arrested and fired in the same day.

Placing the folder on her desk, she ran a hand through her hair. She needed to figure out what she was going to do. Her boss would not be as pleasant in their next chat as he just been. Her only problem stemmed from no leads, it was like some cosmic intervention was preventing her from digging up any dirt. Even her usual tactics of playing hardball had yielded nothing.

The Umbrella Corporation was a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company whose home was right here in Raccoon City. Being one of the most well respected companies in the world, they had a lot of power and influence, both in politics and the military. Owned by the mysterious Ozwell E. Spencer, the man was looked upon as a saint by many. However, there were some who would disagree, and thought him to be nothing more than a terrorist. Claiming that he hid behind the guise of his company with far more sinister plans in motion. None of these could be proven, so were nothing more than rumors.

For months now, there had been spreading rumors of alleged toxic waste dumping in the near by Victory Lake. It had been her job to put together an article about this, but so far she had come up with very little information. Even her connections at the R.P.D. had proved fruitless. It led her to believe that someone was trying to cover it up.

It would not surprise her in the least bit. Companies like Umbrella had a way of believing themselves above the law. They thought they could tread over people, and the world, as if they were all that mattered. She'd show them at thing or two. They wouldn't be thinking the same way once she was finished with them, she was going to make sure of it.

More determined than ever now, she would get to the bottom of what was going on, no matter what. The only problem she foresaw was, she had no idea where to begin. Perhaps she should talk with her friend, Marvin Branagh. He was bound to have found something by now, it had been well over a week since she'd asked for his help. Unfortunately, she did not have the luxury to go out the door. For now, it was best to make due with what she had.

Booting up her computer, she brought up the browser and began to go through her usual method of finding some information. One thing she loved about the internet, if it was there was anything to be found, she would find it.

She brought up a website for conspiracies, searching through it for where she had left off last night. There was a page dedicated entirely to the environmentalist efforts at Victory Lake, and pictures of what an anonymous photographer claimed to be employees of Umbrella. No one would believe information gathered from a conspiracy website, however, there were ways to fact check to see if it was legit. That was what she planned to do. If she could authenticate her source, then Perry would have to print her paper. And if he didn't, she would find one that would.

Stifling a yawn with the back of her hand, Alyssa rubbed at her eyes. She could feel the fatigue from lack of sleep creeping up on her. It was probably time for her to go grab a cup of coffee, maybe some good old caffeine would help keep her going.

One creamer and sugar laden coffee break later, and she found herself a bit more perked up.

At least now she could focus, and try not to let the pressures of all of this get to her.

With less than a week before she would be getting kicked out of her apartment due to being a month behind on rent, it was all she could do to force herself to focus on her work. Not that it had ever been hard to begin with. Being a career woman, her job was really all she had. Her social life was... well, was in the shitter. She coudln't even remember the last time she'd been on a date or taken care of other such carnal needs.

Looking at the computer screen, she saw that the search results were finally done. The first link on the page showed an article written by an environmental group, as well as the photographs that were alleged to be employees of Umbrella. In the photograph, there were two men standing in the background. A truck was backed up to the shore of the lake where the pier was at. One of the men was at the end of the pier, water splashing up on him from where he had just thrown a barrel into the lake. The other was not that far behind him, two more barrels loaded up on a dolly. There was a guy who owed her a favor at the photo hut in the Raccoon Mall, Alyssa was sure that she could get these in better quality. This way, she could truly see if they really were Umbrella men or not.

Producing a floppy disc from the drawer of her desk, she inserted it into the tower of her computer. Highlighting the pictures with her mouse, she dragged them over to the file icon that represented the floppy disc. Once it was completed, the disc was popped out, and she stuffed it into her purse.

Now that she had what she needed, all that needed to be done was head to the mall. Just one hour spent in the photo hut, it was bound to produce the adequate information that she needed. Then, she'd have all the source she needed to write her article. It was not much, but Alyssa had learned a long time ago that even with the littlest of information, anything could be done. As long as it was accurate, and without a doubt truthful, she would be fine.

The only problem she foresaw with this was her boss catching her. Yes, it was for her job, but he did not know that. It wouldn't be the first time someone had been fired for trying to do their job, and that old coot believed them trying to skip work, fired them. As childish a thing as it was, it was best to be careful, and what better way to sneak out than feigning the need for the rest room.

Once she had made sure that her boss was occupied with something in his office, she made a b-line straight for the bathroom. Thankfully it was located just a few feet from the door, no one would be suspicious if they saw her. Looking over her shoulder once she made it out of sight of anyone, she quietly moved towards the door to the stairwell. No one said a word as she slipped away, heading down the stairwell, and into the lobby.

"Alyssa, where are you going?" The woman standing behind the receptionist desk waved her over. "You just got in, whats the rush?" She frowned. "Perry didn't fire you, did he?"

Alyssa came to a sudden halt, the mention of her name stopping her in her tracks and forcing her to freeze on the spot. She had not counted on being stopped by the receptionist. The palms of her hands began to grow slick with sweat, and the hair on the back of her neck stood as she grew anxious.

She didn't remember the girls name, but was sure that it was either Diana or Hilary, one of those two. Being in such a hurry most of the time, it was rare that she was able to stop and actually talk to any of the people in the lobby. Unfortunately, this happened to be one of those times where it was the opposite.

"Oh, you know." She said, smiling at her as she came to a stop in front of the entrance. "Checking up on a lead for this article I'm writing."

"Anything good?" She asked.

Alyssa shook her head. "Not really." She didn't want to discuss what she was doing with anyone. The less she spoke of, the better.

It felt as if time dragged on forever, the two of them just staring at each other and no one saying anything, She was at a loss for words. Things were getting awkward. Making her feel uncomfortable. The smile Hilary was wearing slowly wore down into a blank slate.

"Oh, I see. Well then," Hilary finally said after another minute passed in silence. "I, ugh. I guess I'll just let you be on your way."

Hilary then went back to what she was doing, although for Alyssa, that awkward feeling was still lingering in the air. It made her feel sort of silly. Normally she would stop to talk with anyone. Yet, for some odd reason, found herself unwilling to have a simple conversation. She wanted to say something, but figured it was best to just carry on with what she was doing and not dawdle. Besides, it would appear Hilary was already absorbed in her work.

With her mind made up, she opened the door and stepped out into the crowded street.

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**This chapter went through some hardships, and really had me at a loss for how to start it. The "always late for work" bit is very cliche, I know that much, but it seemed to fit in with the idea that Alyssa always gets the short end of the stick when it comes to what she is assigned by her boss. Speaking of her boss, Perry jameson is a combination of the comic book characters Jonah Jameson and Perry White. Wanted to add something like that in there for any comic savy readers.**

**I know this chapter is, well, short. However, its main purpose was to set up Alyssa beginning the discovery of what Umbrella really is all about. Rest assured though, that I do have something planned for the next chapter, and it will be a lot longer than this one.**

**Review Corner:**

**1.) BGShepard - Yeah, I'm glad you liked it man. I was thinking about whether or not I should actually publish this story, but then decided that I would just do it anyways. Your support is appreciated!**

**2.) Jan Lee - I hope at least some of your suggestions from the previous chapter were fixed, do feel free to let me know anything in this chapter that you think could use some tweaking or if anything could use some more detail.**


	3. Chp Three: Down by the River

**Chapter Three: Down by the River**

_May 20th, 1998._

_6:35 P.M._

**Update (4/19/2015):** I did editing, as usual at the advice of a reviewer. Ended up tacking on an extra 1k of words. Go me!

"And what are you suppose to be doing?"

The voice that called out to him was his wife. Greg Parker turned, watching as she emerged from the thicket of trees off to his left. He stood up, holding a bundle of sticks and dry leafs in his arms. It was getting close to sunset, so he had set out to find himself some sticks so that they could start a campfire. Securing them in between his arms, he walked over to where she was standing at.

"Gathering wood for a fire," He told her, holding up the bundle of sticks and leafs as proof. "Mind carrying some for me?"

Laughing she just shook her head and took some of the sticks to alleviate him of the weight.

"You know," She began, turning to walk with him down the path that led back to their campsite. "When you asked me to go camping with you, I thought that you meant in the RV. Not... well... _literally_."

They were camped out on the east river bank of the Marble River, just across from the Cedar District of the city. Much to his wife's chagrin, they had only driven the RV because of the need for utilities when they were needed. Greg himself preferred sitting under the stars, roasting marshmallows over a campfire as they cuddled together. It was something he had always wanted to do. After the out of court settlement from last fall, they'd had the money to finally do this, he had jumped at the opportunity.

His wife being the city girl that she was, didn't have the same appreciation for nature that he did. She was use to the city lights, the hustle and bustle, and, the never-ending noise of the streets. Out here, all that there was was the sound of nature. It made Greg wonder sometimes how the two of them had ever ended up together. They were like two sides of the same coin, opposite in almost every way there was.

The two of them had been dating ever since college. It wasn't until their final year that they'd decided to become more serious about their relationship, and had decided to get married. Two years later, they had bought a house together in the suburbs of Raccoon City. Not the ideal life that he had imagined when he'd been younger, but it was a start. They'd been struggling for months, Dana working for the city zoning department and Emmy's Diner. Meanwhile, he had been working at the Raccoon stockyard. He'd nearly been trampled by a cow owned by a rancher, who had been more than generous in paying for him keeping quiet about the incident.

All of this had been close to a year ago.

"Come on, Dana. I thought you wanted to experience nature." He teased, earning a loathing look from his wife.

"Of course I do," She told him. "I'm just not as use to this kind of thing as you are."

Arriving back at the campsite a few minutes later, they set the bundle of sticks down in a pile and Greg went to work on starting a campfire.

As a child he had been in the Resica Falls Boy Scouts in East Stroudsburg. He'd learned a lot about being able to survive in the wilderness, such as making fires, fishing, and being able to tell which direction to go in. Thanks to his affinity for quick learning, he'd excelled in everything. There were fond memories of the waterfall, roasting marshmallows over the fire with his dad, and even catching that huge catfish in the bushkill creek. His time in the scouts had become quite useful in his adult life, and even now, they were still helping him.

Making sure the rocks he had gathered beforehand were in a circle, he began piling the sticks in the center. Picking up one of the larger sticks, he used the pocket knife on his belt to split it down the middle and placed it on top. Dana watched him as he firmly held one of the other sticks in his hands and began to rub them together. In a matter of seconds smoke began to rise from the bundle, and turned into a small flicker of fire before the piece of wood was set ablaze.

"All right!" He shouted triumphantly.

Within moments, he was able to get the small flicker of fire to turn into a roaring flame. Now they could cook those hot dogs that he'd bought for them to eat, that was if he could even find them. Opening up the cooler that he'd brought, Greg dug through it, finding the package of wieners at the bottom. The processed sticks of meat were unwrapped and forked, then placed over the open flame once they were ready for cooking.

Off to his right, Dana was setting up two foldable chairs that she had retrieved from inside the RV. The woman cursed under her breath. She was having problems getting the blasted thing to fold out correctly, and it looked as if one of the gears had locked up.

"Need some help?" He asked, walking over to where she was at.

Letting out a huff, she turned to look at him and then shrugged. "Go ahead."

With a smile, he slowly wedged along the gear until it finally fell into place with a soft click. Unfolding the chair, he set it down in front of the campfire and then followed up with the next one. Dana seemed to be pleased, now that the chairs were out. Now they had somewhere to sit besides the wet dirt that they would undoubtedly track back into the RV.

After he was done with the chair, Greg focused his attention back on the hot dogs that had finished cooking. Getting out some buns and ketchup, he quickly made them something to eat. Finished with the hot dogs, he sat down in one of the chairs and took a bite from it. Foregoing that there was another chair, Dana sat down in his lap. She made a face at him, laughing as she took a bite of her own hot dog and relaxed against him.

"Hey," She said after a moment. "I know this was important to you. Spending time out here, and, well, I haven't exactly been making it easy for you." Dana sighed. She'd never been the type to apologize, but this was her husband after all. "So, I'm sorry."

Not saying anything, he just kissed her on the lips. There was nothing for him to say. Dana knew how he felt, there was nothing she could ever do that would make him feel any different about her. When they'd still been in college, and he had proposed to her, Greg had told her that no matter what he would always love her. It was what had kept their relationship stable over the years they'd been together, and he would continue to love her for many more years to come.

The two of them sat out there for a while, enjoying the sunset, cuddling and watching as the stars began to blemish the darkening sky above. It was moments like this that Greg knew he would cherish to the end of his days. Each took turns, trying to guess the pattern of the stars, and which constellations were which. He was not as good at it as Dana was. The girl knew her stars, and would school him in star gazing every single time.

"I have to go pee," Dana suddenly said, pushing herself up and then starting towards the woods.

"Why not just go in the RV?" He teased.

Turning back to look at him, Dana giggled. "Well, I figured I'd try the _natural_ approach for once."

After she disappeared through the trees, he smiled as he began to think of this really funny prank that he could pull on her. It would be the perfect opportunity, which was something that he just could not pass up. Getting up from the chair, Greg picked up the bottle of ketchup, and then snuck off into the woods. He made sure to crouch down, so he wouldn't make any noise as he moved through the woods towards where Dana was at.

Just ahead of him, he could see Dana through the tree branch's. She was crouched down next to the river bank, doing her business and looking at the flowing water in the river. Unscrewing the top of the ketchup bottle, he squirted a copious amount of the red liquid onto his shirt and smeared it. He wanted it to look genuine, so when he popped out at her, Dana would scream bloody murder. Once he was sure that it looked somewhat believable, he sat back on his heels, waiting for the right moment to spring his little prank.

That moment came when Dana turned her back to him and began to wash her hands in the stream. Stepping out from behind the trees, he suddenly rushed full throttle at her and screamed. Turning around, Dana's eyes lit up in pure horror as she watched him limp towards her. His shirt was stained with blood (that's what Dana assumed at least), and had been torn in several places like he had been in a struggle with someone.

"Oh my god!" Dana screamed. She was horrified, running a trembling hand over Greg's chest as he collapsed in front of her. "G-Greg, what happened?"

He said nothing, moving his lips weakly like he was trying to say something, but was unable to. Lifting a hand, his shaking finger pointed towards the woods where he had come from. Casting her gaze to the woods, Dana's chest tightened as she suddenly had this feeling of being watched.

"Let me check the wound," She told him, peeling back his hand that was clutching his stomach.

Placing her hand on his stomach, she pushed aside the torn fabric of his shirt and felt around for a wound. She had learned from her mother that the first thing to do was put pressure on the wound, so the person would not bleed out. The only problem was... there was no wound. Blinking several times, Dana peered down at her husbands stomach, and saw that his stomach was fine. It was fake blood. That was then that she caught the lingering smell of ketchup.

"You bastard!" Dana screamed, punching Greg in the arm. Her look of concern quickly melded into a mixture of furry and annoyance. "I can't believe you would do that to me! I thought you were really hurt!"

Greg just laughed, throwing his head back as he howled with laughter.

Once he saw that Dana was upset, his laughter quickly died down and then he frowned.

He had not intended to upset her, Greg had thought that she'd just laugh along with him. Instead now he felt like a complete asshole, and was sure that he had ruined their entire trip. Dana would likely be pissed with him the entire weekend now until they got home, and give him the cold shoulder. Sometimes he did such stupid things, even he didn't understand why he had such inclinations for them.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He said, sighing as he looked over at her. The look on her face told him that it wasn't going to be that simple.

"Sometimes, I wonder how I could even be with you." She said angrily after a moment, turning to look at him. Her face was flushed, fists balled up and resisting the urge to punch him again. "Why won't you grow up? Stop these ridiculous pranks already."

Letting out a sigh, he let his head fall against the wet dirt and stared up at the sky.

"I'm an ass." He said aloud.

"That's an understatement," Dana whispered coldly.

It wasn't far from the truth. In his days, Greg had done some pretty childish things. As much of a fuss as she had made over what he did, there were a lot worse things that he'd done in the past.

Propping himself up on his elbows he turned to look at her. Her eyes were hidden by her bangs, but he knew that she was probably looking the opposite way. Over the years they'd been together, Greg had learned when to read what her emotions were just by the way that she carried herself. From now on, he was going to cut out all of this nonsense. He was going to drop the childish antics, and man up.

"Look," Getting to his feet, he placed a hand around her waist. "I'll cut it out, I promise."

"Really?" She looked at him with disbelief.

He nodded.

"From now on, no more kids stuff."

He threw his arms around her. Dana turned, putting her arms around him as well and kissed him. The two stood there in the fading daylight, embracing each other, enjoying the moment.

"God, what is that smell?" Dana said, covering her mouth and nose with one hand.

Sniffing the air, he noticed that there was indeed an awful stench in the air.

"Jesus," He to had to cover his nose. "I don't know, did something die?"

Although this was not news to him, the entire time the two had been down at the river there had been this faint smell coming from up the river. It had not been strong, and had been tolerable. There had really been no reason for him to make any complaints about it, and was surprised it had taken Dana this long to say something. Of course, he had become accustomed to the smell and had no problem with it. Now though, it was an entirely different story.

He had no idea what it was, but it was ghastly. The stench alone was enough to make them want to puke. It reminded Greg of this bit of roadkill that he'd found in the ditch in front of his house when he was twelve. Its stomach had been split open, its insides lying on the curb and roasting in the afternoon sun on the curb. It smelled like... like, something had died. Yes! That's exactly what it smelled like.

If this was the case, then what was it?

The two of them had been camping out here for two days now, surely they would have smelled it sooner. Dismissing the idea that it was something dead, he began to think of what else it could be. Rumors had been going around the city that Umbrella was using Victory Lake and the nearby streams as a dumping ground. It was a possibility. Yet, it still left unanswered the sudden onslaught that had assaulted their senses out of nowhere. More importantly was where it was even coming from.

He felt Dana take his hand in hers, more for her own sake than his.

"Seriously, what is it?" She asked.

It was then that he noticed something floating out in the middle of the river. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but was definitely sure that it was no stray log. Walking closer to the edge of the shore, Greg squinted his eyes, trying to get a better look. Whatever it was, it had come from up stream. Due to the dwindling light, it was impossible to make it out. Perhaps if it got closer, he would be able to get a better look at whatever it was.

"I think its that thing in the river." He told her, pointing out the floating object. Truthfully, he was not completely sure of this. But, it was likely that this was the cause behind it.

"Maybe we should call someone," Dana said, casting a wary look in the direction he was pointing. "I think it might be dead."

This only intrigued him further.

As it drew closer, Greg noticed the putrid smell began to grow stronger. The thing in the river must be the cause of the smell, this much he was able to deduce from the obvious. It left him curious. He wanted to know what it was, and as luck would have it, the current was bringing it closer to the shore. Any closer and he would be able to see what it was.

Of course, the only way he was going to see what it was is if he walked out into the water.

"Don't go, lets just go." Dana protested.

"I'll only be a minute." He assured her.

"But Greg—"

Despite Dana's protest, Greg walked out waist deep into the water. He had to cover his nose and breath through his mouth to keep from vomiting, the stench was that bad. The object—he had yet to figure out what it was—was just another full yard ahead of him and hidden in the waxing shadows. Taking hold of a piece of drift wood to his right, he stretched out the flimsy object in his hands. His intention was to force the direction of it over to him, so he could bring it to the shore for a closer look.

The piece of drift wood caught up under it, allowing him to pull it closer to him, and then up to the shore. He made special care not to get to close to it. If it truly was radioactive, then he wanted to make sure that neither of them got anything from it.

It could have been anything in the world. Nothing could have prepared them for what they had found. As Greg stood there staring, he could taste bile that was threatening to force its way out.

"Oh my god..." He gasped, visibly shaken.

"What is it?" By now, Dana was trembling. Her soft voice quickly changed into that of a person who was ready to get the hell out of there. "Jesus! Is that a body!? Damn it, Greg. Get out of there!"

She was standing in the water up to her ankles, beckoning for him to join her. The idea of something happening to him scared her beyond belief. She didn't think she would be able to live with herself if something were to happen to him. What if whatever had killed this person was still near by, waiting for the right moment to end their lives as well.

Sure enough thats exactly what was lying in front of them.

He couldn't believe it!

At first he thought that it had to be something else, but there was no denying it, that's exactly what it was.

The body was bloated from being in the water so long, its limbs having almost doubled in size from its time in the water. The skin was an ugly bluish color, and had discolored veins. Several pieces of flesh were missing from the upper torso, most likely from where a fish or two had nibbled on it. Worms, maggots, and other assorted bugs were writhing inside of the carcass, feeding off of it. Below the shin on the left foot, the limb was severed and the muscle had turned a sickening black. The face of the woman—noticeable only because of her exposed breasts—was a twisted expression of pure agony.

He couldn't imagine the horror this woman must have gone through during the attack on her. It was hard to tell exactly what had done it. Maybe a bear? There was no way for him to know for sure as he was no expert. Surely the police would know. Which made him realize that he needed to dial 911, to let them know what him and Dana had found. Her family needed to know. They needed to know that their daughter was dead, to bring closure to not knowing what had happened to her.

"Damn it, Greg! Lets get the fuck out of here! We need to call the police!" Dana shouted. She was already halfway across the camp site, heading to the RV.

Taking in a shaky breath, he looked around to make sure that no one was standing behind them. He'd seen enough of Friday the 13th to know that there usually was someone standing behind you if you looked. Relief quickly washed over him once he realized there was no one but the two of them. Of course, he reminded himself that that did not excuse the idea that someone could still be watching them from somewhere in the forest. Just thinking about this sent a shiver down his spine.

Unable to fight the bile that lingered at the back of his throat, he turned away from the dead body and puked up his dinner on the dirt next to him. It stank so bad. God, there was just no words he could use to describe it. He was no doctor, so it was impossible for him to know exactly how long the body had been in the river. If he had to guess though, it wouldn't have been long. Despite its decay, the body was still relatively fresh. Using the backside of his hand to wipe his mouth, he turned in the direction that Dana was going, and began walking after her.

"Dana, get my phone from the glove box! We gotta' report this to the cops!" He called out in agonized grief as he approached the RV.

A moment later, she came rushing out of the RV, and handed him his phone.

Quickly dialing 911, he ran a hand through his sweaty locks and tried to keep himself as composed as possible.

_How is that suppose to work exactly?_ he thought as the phone began ringing. _A woman is dead, and here you are, trying to remain calm. Lets not forget there could easily be someone hiding behind a tree watching you and your wife this very moment._

Finally, the operator on the other end picked up.

A calm feminine voice said, "911. What is your emergency?"

"Yes, I'd like to report a body." He tried to keep his voice steady, but was finding it hard to do so. "My wife and I are camping out in an RV on the east bank of the Marble River, just outside of the industrial park. It looks like she might have been mauled or murdered, its hard for me to tell."

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to remain calm while I speak with an officer in the area and give them your location." The operator told him. He could hear voices in the background. The operator was speaking with someone, repeating everything he had said. She then came back. "Sir, a patrol car is on their way. I want you to stay in your RV, lock your doors until the police arrive, and be as cooperative as possible."

"Of course." He said. As if he was going to do anything else.

Ending the conversation with the operator, he turned his attention to Dana, and climbed into the RV.

The first thing he wanted to do was make sure that Dana was okay. Finding a dead body was a traumatic experience that could leave some personal issues, like having to go to the therapist. As farfetched an idea as it was, Dana was a fragile woman. She'd never had to deal with this kind of thing before.

He found Dana sitting on the small sofa next to the door. The scared expression on her face, while not exactly good, was better than being blank. She was staring straight ahead, almost as if she had no idea that he was even there. When he sat down next to her, she blinked several times, but remained silent and continued to stare off.

"Are you okay?" He asked. There was no response from her, which made him fear that he was right about how her reaction had been. He then shook her, trying to snap her out of it. "Dana, please answer me. Is anything wrong?"

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, she spoke. "I-I'm fine. Just a little scared is all." Sighing, Dana buried her face into his shoulder and began to cry. "That poor girl, I can't imagine the pain that she must have gone through."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I bet its going to be hard for her family to see her like this."

"What could have done that to her?" She asked, turning to look up at him from where she was positioned at. "A bear? But I'm not sure if they're even indigenous to the this area of the mountains."

"I don't know either. The best thing for us to do right now is to remain here, and wait until the police arrive."

Dana nodded in agreement. "I feel so vulnerable, like I'd just been attacked and now have to pick some sicko out of a line up. I know it probably sounds silly, but I guess theres a first time for everything, even seeing a dead body up close."

"Its fine, and you know, if it will make you feel better, I can get the gun out from under the bed."

"You don't have to," She told him. "Like you said, we can wait here."

"I want you to feel safe, and I think we'd both feel a lot better with it."

"I-I suppose you're right." Dana whispered.

"Wait right here."

Standing up, he walked to the back of the RV to get the lock box from under the bed.

Ducking under the bed, he pulled out the lock box. Fishing for the key on his key ring, it clicked softly and the lid swung open. Inside the box was a Glock 17, it had been a present from Dana two years ago. Having always been fascinated with firearms since he'd been taken to a gun show by his uncle, he had always loved them. Knowing this, Dana had gotten it for him for his birthday. He'd only fired it once, not wanting to use it unless he absolutely had to. Thankfully, this happened to be one of those times.

Holding the sleek weapon in his hands, he felt the comforting weight of it, and told himself that everything would be okay. The cops were already on their way. Anyone with sensibility would not dare mess with them, unless of course they did not care if they were caught. Checking to make sure that the clip in it was full loaded, Greg walked to the front of the RV, noticing right away that Dana was no longer sitting on the sofa.

"Dana?" He called out, looking around. "Dana, where are you?"

Receiving no answer, he gripped the handgun tightly, stopping as he approached the door.

_There you are..._

She was standing just outside, her back was turned to him, and she was bent over.

Opening the door, he looked down at her. "What are you doing? Why didn't you tell me you were going outside!?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Standing up, she turned around to face him and held up her purse. "I, ugh, kind of needed some feminine hygiene products."

"Its fine. But, you should really be more careful. What if something had happened and—"

A growl from their left cut off Greg, his head snapping to the left and bringing the gun up ready to use it. On the other side of the camp site, near where the mountain trail began, there was... a dog. Or at least, that was what he believed that it was. It was hard for him to tell from such a distance. However, there was clearly something wrong with it. It looked fucked up, as if someone had ran it through a meat grinder and it had somehow survived.

_Good god, what the fuck is that thing!?_

It's bottom jaw was missing, saliva dripping down from the flapping grey tongue that was hanging low. The thing just stood there, a low guttural growl coming from it as its bloodied claws dug into the dirt. Both of its ears were gone, possibly ripped or fallen off. It was hard to tell with its bad decomposition. Regardless, the look in its eyes told him that it was in no way friendly, and he didn't plan on finding out either. It let out a huff, bits of saliva and blood flying in the air as it peeled its teeth back, baring its teeth at them.

On instinct, his finger ghosted the trigger of the gun. If that _thing_ even so much as twitched, he was going to blast it to hell.

"Don't move." He said calmly. Any sudden movements was likely to make it attack them, and even though it would be easier just to shoot the poor beast, he didn't want to risk accidentally shooting Dana.

"What is that thing?" She whispered.

"No idea," He whispered back. It just stood there, growling at them, its slate grey tongue flicked out to lick what remained of its lips. "Dana, I want you to slowly begin walking towards me."

"But you said to not move," She retorted. "Why would I move if you told me not to?"

"Just do it."

"O-Okay." She stammbered.

Slowly, Dana began to take steps back, deliberately making sure to keep as quiet as she possibly could. They had no idea what was wrong with this thing, the diseases that it could have and possibly give to them if it were to bite them. With each step that he took, the beast put one bloodied paw in front of the other. He wanted to avoid any confrontation if he could, and let the cops deal with it once they arrived.

_Just a little further..._

Beneath one of her shoes, a twig broke. This seemingly insignificant action caused the things head to snap up, its feral growl became louder and then suddenly it launched itself at them. A single shot rang out, a yelp escaping the beast as it fell over onto its side. There was a smoking hole coming from its side, thick blood running from the wound and pooling on the dirt beneath it. It wasn't dead though. He could still see the rise and fall of its chest. The gun in his hands was lowered, a sigh of relief escaping him now that the threat was over with.

His hands were shaking, adrenaline pumping through him as he tried to calm himself. Having never had to use the gun on anything before, it made him realize that this was the first time he had ever killed anything. It had left him little choice though. He'd seen the look in its eyes. Knew the danger that it posed. If he had not done something then, one of them could be seriously hurt right now... or worse.

Turning to Dana, he embraced her tightly in his arms. "Are you okay?" He asked. Taking her arm with his hand, he quickly checked her over. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine," Dana assured him, although he was not convinced. There was something in her voice that told him that she was not okay, and that it would be a long time before they ever went camping again. She then looked in the direction of the door. "What the hell was that thing?"

"I-I have no idea."

The truth was, he had never seen anything like it before. It looked like something right out of one of those cheesey horror movies that his brother had been so interested in when they were kids. He was sure that it was or had once been a dog, that much was undeniable. But there was something about it that had been... strange. It had looked like a rottweiler, but outside of that comparison, there was almost nothing that made the two comparable.

Although he had no clue what, there had to be something wrong with it. Maybe some kind of new strain of rabies or something, Greg was just thankful neither one of them had been bit by the monster. There was no telling what would happen to either of them if it had been able to.

"What now?" Dana asked. She had sat down in the passenger seat, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I don't know," Was his response. The best thing for them was to wait for the cops to arrive. Surely the cops would know what to do once they got there. "For now, we just wait."

In the distance, the sound of police sirens could already be heard approaching. With each second that passed they grew louder, and before long, both Greg and Dana could see the red and blue strobes coming towards them through the trees. Remembering that he had a gun in his hands, Greg quickly unloaded it and placed it back into its case. He would no longer be needing it now that they were here.

"Wait here, I'm gonna go outside to get their attention."

Dana gave a nod, letting him know that she understood.

When he stepped outside, he saw that two patrol cars were coming down the path. They swung themselves into the grassy field and killed their engines. Getting out, the two officers walked over to where he was standing at. They didn't look happy to be their. Must have been on their lunch break or something, not that it was any of his business or concerned him at all. They weren't there to socialize. They were there to do their jobs. He directed them over to where the body was at, standing back, watching them do whatever it was they did. It was probably best, they weren't the most social bunch.

Instead, he just walked back to the RV.

He was opening the door when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning around, he looked over at the spot where the dog had been lying... to find that it was no longer there. A trail of dark blood led into the underbrush, seemingly disappearing. He was certain that he had killed it. The damn thing had a bullet wound in its side for crying out loud. Yet, it was no longer there. It had just up and vanished.

Things just kept getting weirder and weirder by the minute. Finding a dead body was something that he could deal with, because it was common and could happen to anyone. A strange dog that can survive a gunshot wound, that was the last straw. With so many things going on in the city at the moment, taking that job in East Stroudsburg was sounding like a really good offer now. At least there he wouldn't have to worry about some crazy cannibal hillbillies living in the forest.

Besides, with what was happening, this was the last time they'd ever go camping anyways.

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**So, what do you guys think?**

**Did it seem like the pace was a bit to fast? That is probably the only thing that I was concerned about with this chapter, was if the pace of it was flowing to fast or not. Jumping from a campfire, to a prank and then to being attacked by a Cerberus, it had me wondering if it might be moving along to quickly. I'm sure you guys will let me know either way.**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot more than I did with the previous one. For me, the muse just flowed a lot smoother with this chapter. I guess it comes from not having to use a Canon character, and freely being able to write the characters the way I wanted to. Which reminds me, I did notice that Alyssa seems to be slightly OOC in Chapter 2, but I'm going to remedy that with a harder characterization of her in the next one. I also think it works itself out, considering that she is close to being homeless. If that can help with the reasoning behind her slight OOC, I hope it does.**

**Review Corner:**

**1.) Jan Lee - Once again, your input has been invaluable while writing this story. I corrected all of the things you suggested that needed editing, and once you get around to this chapter, I'll also correct it immediately.**

**2.) Doctorwhofan12345 - Hey, thanks for taking the time to read my story! Yeah, I love the outbreak games as well, I have both of them and have played them to death. As for the reason for using Alyssa as the main character, I figured that if it was going to be about investigating the events taking place it was either use her or Ben Bertolucci, and I don't really like Ben, so, the idea to use Alyssa was born. To answer your question about this progressing through the Raccoon City Incident, that will be a no. The story itself is going to just cover the events that lead up to RE and RE: Zero, so no, it won't. I hope you can understand.**


	4. Chp Four: Toes Up

**Chapter Four: Toes Up**

_May 20th, 1998._

_9:55 P.M._

**Update (5/27/2015):** Current edit of this chapter.

Pulling into the parking lot across the street from the Raccoon City Police Department, Alyssa let out a soft sigh as she rested her head against the steering wheel of her old sedan. Listening to the soft humming of the engine, she rubbed her tired eyes, trying to ignore how fatigued she felt as she turned off the engine. It didn't help matters that she also had a headache. Sparing a glance at the watch on her wrist, she took in a deep breath before getting out of the vehicle.

The cool evening air bit at her, forcing her to cup her hands together and breathe hot air into them as she began making her way towards the front gate to the station. She couldn't believe that it was summer and it was this freaking cold, Alyssa had hardly been able to believe it when she had watched the news this morning. Passing by several officers on her way through, she gave a nod to them, forcing a smile as she walked up the set of stairs and into the welcoming warmth of the building.

The building had once been an art museum, this much could be seen from how articulate the design of the interior was. Three stories high, it also had a stained glass picture that most would miss if not paying attention to the extravagant layout of the building. Directly in front of the entrance there was a marble statue of a beautiful woman holding a vase on her right shoulder, water running down into a small opening at her feet. In front of that was the R.P.D.'s emblem. On either side, ramps led up to the check in area, where currently a man was sweet talking the receptionist.

Due to being a reporter, often time she was never able to see the inside of the building unless she was sneaking in one of the back doors or being tossed into a cell herself for harassment.

All around her, people were moving about like bees inside of a hive. They walked right by, going about as they normally would on any given day. Here she was, trying to figure out exactly where it was she was suppose to go. She wanted to stop someone, to ask them where the morgue was at. With her preceding reputation, and the fact that Chief Irons had threatened to have her arrested if she ever set foot in the R.P.D. again without reason the last time she'd been here, it was probably best if she sought out one of the more friendlier cops to talk to.

Deciding that this was the best course of action, she made her way through the crowd and over to where the check-in desk was at.

The chump from earlier was still sweet talking the receptionist. She stood directly behind him, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for him to finish, and wondering if the woman behind the desk would ever notice her.

When she came to the conclusion that this was doing nothing but wasting her time, Alyssa cleared her throat to get their attention. "Um, excuse me."

Both the man and the receptionist both stopped, turning to glare at her.

The receptionist rolled her eyes, snottily saying, "Can I help you?"

She just put on a smile. "Hi, I'm looking for Officer Branagh. Do you happen to know where he might be?"

Letting out an annoyed sigh, the receptionist began typing information into the computer in front of her.

Alyssa was surprised the girl even knew how to use the computer. She reminded her of one of those girls in high school that was all bangles and glitter, not wanting to break a nail or do anything physical. It made her sick. They acted as if people like her didn't even exist, and when they did notice you, it was only long enough so that they could use you for what ever purpose it was that they needed you for. Once done, they'd kindly toss you aside like a used tampon.

"Here he is." The girl said finally. "Officer Branagh is in the east office, in a meeting. You can wait for him in the lobby next door if you'd—"

"Thanks for the help!" She said, cutting her off in midsentence.

_As if I'd actually wait..._ she thought. Walking towards the door that would take her into the east wing, she stopped for a moment. Opening the door slightly, she poked her head through and checked to see if there were any officers at the end of the hallway where the drink machines were at. _Good, there's no one there._ Once she was certain no one was coming, she slipped through the door and nonchalantly made her way towards the door that would take her into the detectives office area of the station.

Normally she would not go through such lengths to get where she needed to go, but from what she'd learned from her bosses voice recording, was that there was a dead body in the morgue. It had been found by a couple camping down near the Marble River a few hours ago. The R.P.D. had been trying to keep its secrecy iron tight until they were able to ID the woman, not even the press knew about it yet. When she'd asked Perry how he'd known about it if no one else knew yet, all he'd told her was not to ask any questions and to just do her job. She did not like being bossed around, especially by that toad of a man. However, she just hung up the phone while he continued to rant, then began hastily making her way towards the station.

She was so close to making a break through with the pollution in Victory Lake, she didn't need anything to get in her way. If she was lucky, it would be a simple case of being mauled by a bear. Perry had mentioned something about the deceased possibly being a victim of murder, but that was likely just speculation. She needed to find out for herself, and quickly, before her lead on the Umbrella case went cold again.

Opening the door to the detectives office, she slipped into the room and looked around for Marvin.

The detectives office was mostly empty, say for a few people who were sitting at desks writing up reports. Several desks sat pushed together to the right, and stretched the entire length of the room. A few old book shelves that had seen better years were lined against the wall. On the other side of the room, there was a small closed off room, it served as the office of the head of the department. Inside, she could see several silhouettes of people, all attending the meeting that the receptionist had spoken of.

Marvin's desk was at the end of the row on the other side of the room, which was good because that meant that no one would be able to hear their conversation. She walked around to the right, and down to where Marvin's desk was at. Sitting down in the chair, she propped her feet up on the desk and stared up at the ceiling fan as it haphazardly swung back and forth.

A smirk perked up at the corner of her mouth as she remembered the last time she'd been in this chair. Marvin had been questioning her about the harassment of one of the town officials. It had been nothing major, she had been heckling some geezer about how he was lying to the people. Receiving a slap on the wrist and a restraining order from said political official, she had been free to go.

Over the years since then, the two had become sort of friends.

If that's what you could call it at least.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" A voice called out from her left.

_Oh, crap..._

Turning her head, she found herself looking at one of the detectives who had been doing paperwork.

"I'm waiting for someone, actually, so I'm just fine." Was her response. She didn't like that this guy was sticking his nose in her business, he was better off just going back to his paperwork.

"So, you know Marvin?" He asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I do." She did not want to say anything else. If this guy was one of those kiss ass types, he'd easy report her to Irons if it would get him under that grubby bastards good grace. "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason," He said. "Just not every day a lady as pretty as you comes to see Marvin."

Although this guys comment made her want to punch him right in the throat, Alyssa just smiled and decided to be nice. It was better than being arrested for assaulting a police officer.

"That's nice of you," She told him instead. "But I'm a lesbian."

It wasn't the truth of course, but the look on his face let her know that any further advancements had been stopped.

"Ryman, stop bothering the lady." A voice from the other side of the room said. They both turned to watch Marvin as he walked out of the office. "Trust me, she's way out of your league, and even if she was, you couldn't handle her."

"Ouch," Ryman chuckled and placed a hand on his chest where his heart was. "I'm heartbroken, Marv."

Both men began laughing.

"Well, I'll let you two talk. See you around."

Once Officer Ryman had walked back to his desk, Marvin turned to looked at Alyssa, who had this coy look on her face.

Not saying anything, she just pulled her legs off the desk and then sat up right. They needed to talk, and the sooner they did, the sooner she could leave this place.

"So, what can I help you with Ms. Ashcroft?" Marvin asked as he picked up a stack of papers that were next to the phone on the desk. Before she could respond though, he added. "And if its about the body they found, I can't help you."

"Come on," Like a puppy trying to play fetch, she followed after him. "Just five minutes to ask the mortician some questions. That's all I'm asking for, Marv."

"I told you, I can't." He told her. "I could lose my job this time."

"I promise to be quick."

"I _can't, _Alyssa." Marvin retorted. "Like I just said, I could lose my job, and I have a family to support."

She grabbed his arm, getting his attention once more. "And I would never ask you to do something that could get you in trouble. But, if I don't come up with something soon, I could be out of a home and maybe even a job. I really need this Marv. Please?"

Marvin sighed, using his free hand to rub at his tired eyes as he tucked the papers under his arm.

If she were caught while down in the basement, it would mean that Marvin could possibly lose his job. Of course, she'd never rat him out. It however, wouldn't stop Irons from putting two and two together, as it was no secret around the department that Marvin had helped her out a time or two. Just allowing her access, could cost him everything. That wasn't something that Alyssa could ask of him. At the same time though, if she didn't get a good article soon, she was going to be homeless.

_Desperate time's call for desperate measures I suppose_, she thought.

He was very adamant about denying her request, which Alyssa could understand. Instead of arguing, she just gave him this look of longing that she would use on someone when trying to get something out of them. She attributed it to her feminine charm, but knew not to go beyond just that. By no means was she a slut or a tease, and it would be a cold day in hell before she would sleep with someone just to get some info out of them. Not that she could have to do that with Marvin to begin with, he'd always come through for her.

"Five minutes." He finally said after a full minute of silence.

"Yes!" She cheered, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "You are a damn lifesaver. I owe you a coffee."

"Just don't get caught, and we'll call it even."

"Of course." She told him.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," He bade her farewell and left her alone to proceed with what she was planning to do.

"Wait," She called out, causing him to turn back around to face her. Alyssa then sheepishly asked, "Uhm, which way is the morgue exactly?"

"Through there," Marvin pointed to the door next to the office and then began walking away. "Good luck down there."

She could hear a few murmuring words, not really understanding any of it, but knowing that it had to do with her. One of the many reasons she wanted to get moving. Not all cops were as nice as Marvin, some of them hated people like her with a burning passion. Deciding that it was best to get moving before anyone else could question her reason for being there, she made her way towards the adjacent hallway that would take her to the basement.

The connecting hallway was flecked in an aged yellow wallpaper, it even had a few antique lighting fixtures on the wall. It reminded her of cheap apartments, and of her college years, which she would much rather forget about. At least there weren't rats in the walls, making that annoying squeaking sound of theirs and chewing through the wires. Then again, there could easily be rats in the station as well. The R.P.D. was like one big fire hazard. One wrong wire chewed through, and you could kiss this place good bye.

At the end of the hallway to the left next to the staircase was another door, it led into the office for the Night Watch. It was more of a lounge than anything else. There were a couple of bunk beds at the back of the room, a couple of lockers that the officers used when they were working, and even a TV that was hanging on the wall.

A pair of officers were hanging out next to the door, but they didn't even notice her as she started towards the stairs.

Heading down the stairs, she found herself in the dank, dark basement of the building. This part of the R.P.D. always gave her the creeps, it just wasn't something you would expect to be a part of a place that was suppose to make you feel safe. The narrow hallway she walked eventually came to an end, branching out to the left and to the right. To the right, would take her to the parking lot and beyond that, was the kennel for the police dogs and the prisoner cells. To her left however, if she followed the rest of the hallway would take her out into the fresh air of another short walkway that led to a maintenance lid for the workers in the connecting sewage plant.

The place she was looking for however, was just next to her on the left. A door that you probably wouldn't even take notice of if you weren't paying attention. Not many people liked being down here in the basement. Some people claimed that ghosts of people who had died in a fire back in the 60's dwelled down here. Alyssa saw it as nothing more than some stupid ghost story, but had to admit that there was a very ominous presence about the basement that she did not like one bit.

The morgue was cold, which was something to be expected, and had an industrialized feeling to it. It was a pretty small room as well, there was hardly any walking room thanks to all of the gurneys that lined the wall on the left. The cold storage where the bodies were kept was directly across from the entrance to the room, one of the doors was hanging open slightly and the feet of a corpse could be seen half hidden behind it.

On one of the gurneys in the middle of the room, she noticed that there was a body lying on it. Its chest had been cut open, the vital organs exposed for the world to see. Looking at it made her feel uncomfortable, she'd always gotten weak in the knees in the presence of a dead body, but she was just going to have to suck it up. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and walked up to where the body was at. The worse that could happen was that she'd end up puking up her lunch, it wasn't as if the thing was going to get up off the table and attack her.

The specimen on the table was male, middle age and balding. His exposed stomach expanded out to a pot belly, the result of having no self control on knowing when to put down the fork. His skin was as pale as a ghost, his fat lips an off blue, and his eyelids looking like someone had given him one hell of a shiner on both.

He must've been that guy from J's Bar that had a heart attack earlier today. Remembering that one of her coworkers had told her about it before she'd come to the R.P.D., apparently the guy had been scarfing down a burger when he'd suddenly lost it. Grabbing at his chest, he complained of a painful sensation in his body, right before collapsing to the floor dead. She pitied the fool, he'd brought it on himself by such a poor choice in health.

"Can I help you?" A voice asked from behind her.

Alyssa whirled around, surprised to see a young woman no older than herself standing before her. She was dressed in light blue scrubs, her blonde hair was tied up into a bun, and dark eyes studied her from behind a pair of glasses. It would have been less awkward, if not for the fact that she couldn't think of anything to say. Alyssa was far to transfixed at how someone so young could have a job like this.

"Either tell me or you can leave." The woman said, narrowing her eyes. "I don't have time for this, I got two dead bodies who needed to get looked over yesterday."

"My name is Alyssa Ashcroft," She told her. "I work for Raccoon Press. I was hoping that I could have a look at a body that was brought in earlier."

"What for?" The woman, who by now was becoming suspicious of her, walked past her to where the body was lying at on the gurney. "I don't have time to answer any questions, and, even if I wanted to, I doubt I would be allowed to."

"I'm writing a story about her for the paper," Alyssa explained. "And yes, I do have permission to be here."

"From who?

"Officer Branagh."

"Oh, okay." The woman then extended her gloved hand, which she shook. "My name is Dr Jane Moore, I'm one of the medical examiners and Doctor Chakrabarti's assistant."

"Wheres the doc at?"

Pulling up a sheet to cover the body of the man on the table, Jane walked over to one of the doors to the cold storage and pulled it open. "He had to go home early, something about his wife being sick, must be some new kind of virus going around."

"I see."

"So, is this the one?" Jane stepped to the side, letting her get a good look at the body.

Staring at the body lying on the table, Alyssa found herself speechless. Whoever this woman had been, there was no doubt in her mind that she had suffered when she was attacked by whatever it was that had killed her. Her chest had stitch's running down the exposed breasts and abdomen, likely from where an autopsy had been done on it. Another thing she noticed was that just below the shin on the left foot, the limb was severed, probably torn off by the thing that had done this to her.

The smell was enough to make her want to vomit, and when she felt the bile rise up at the back of her throat suddenly, she quickly rushed to the sink to her left.

Jane just laughed, amused at how easily she became queasy. "Don't worry," She said once Alyssa was done vomitting. "The smell eventually doesn't bother you after a couple of years."

_If that's her idea of a joke_, Alyssa thought as she straightened herself, _then shes definitely going to be the only one laughing._

"Sorry about that," Jane said as she placed a hand on Alyssa's shoulder and frowned. "Guess its only amusing to my coworkers."

"You think?"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." Jane let out a brief chuckle. "You said you had some questions?"

"Yes, I do." Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a pen and a notepad. "What can you tell me about the body?"

"Lets see," Walking over to the tray next to the other body. "We still don't have a name, but its safe to assume that shes from Raccoon City. From what Doctor Chakrabarti and I were able to tell by the damage to the body, she was likely mauled by a grizzly or some kind of other animal, possibly a wolf."

"A grizzly?" She echoed.

Jane nodded. "That's right."

She raised a brow. "So, I'm suppose to believe that a grizzly bear tore this woman's foot off, and killed her?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Jane told her. "We still haven't finished studying the wounds, this is just a likely theory. We won't know about any more of it until Doctor Chakrabarti returns tomorrow."

Alyssa wasn't buying it one bit. There was more to it than what this girl was letting her know, and that was if she really even knew anything to begin with. The odds of this truly being a grizzly attack were very slim, they usually never attacked anyone in Arklay. Residents of the city were smart enough to know not to mess with the animals, and what not to do when they came across one. Perhaps this woman wasn't a local after all. Only time would tell.

"Was there anything unusual about the body?"

"What do you mean by unusual?" Jane asked.

"I mean was there anything that stood out from the rest," Alyssa told her. For this woman to be a medical examiner, she sure wasn't that bright. "Perhaps something that would tell this wasn't a grizzly attack? And what of the possibility of this woman being the victim of murder?"

"I can't really comment on that." Jane insisted. "Like I said, Chakrabarti will give the final medical conclusion of what happened to her."

Clenching her fists, she knew that this was as far as things were going to go, and decided not to press it any further. She had all that she needed, getting kicked out for nagging the coroners assistant wasn't going to get her anywhere.

It still did not change the fact that she knew that there was more going on. She knew something was going on, and that they were trying to cover it up. What it was, she had no idea. Perhaps she was going to have to do a bit more digging around to see what it was. Who knew, maybe there was a connection between this and the dumping at the lake by the Umbrella Corp. The change to the environment could have possibly destroyed the ecosystem for the animal.

For now though, all she could do was speculate. If she was really going to proceed, then she was definitely going to need to get some evidence to back up her claims. The best thing for her to do was to go up to the mountains herself. Maybe she could find a hunter to help her search the area and try to uncover this conspiracy that was beginning to rise to the surface in their peaceful community.

_So its settled then_, Alyssa thought as she stuffed the notepad into the pocket inside of her jacket. _I'll just go find out for myself._

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**I know that there are some discrepancy's in this chapter, considering that Marvin is not a detective, and yes I know this. However, I am going to explain all of that in the future. I just ask that you be patient with me and wait until things have been thoroughly explained. We haven't seen the last of Marvin just yet, and since the S.T.A.R.S. don't officially join the investigation until just a few days before the vents of RE: Zero, I decided to use one of the officers that people are familiar with.**

**As for the idea of her not being allowed in the police station, and would have been arrested on sight. My idea for that came from how reporters always harass people, and try to squeeze information out of the police for their next story. Considering that Alyssa is such an agressive character (according to her Wiki bio at least) I wanted her to be hated by a lot of police officers for this, and have a known track record for not being on the right side of the law sometimes.**

**Hopefully this explains any questions you guys have, and if not, well, you know how to get into contact with me.**

**Review Corner:**

**1.) Jan Lee - Did I ever tell you how much I love your input in this story? I honestly don't think I would be able to keep my interest in this story without you faithfully helping me out after each chapter is posted. Know of course, I don't obligate you to do it, but I'm sure you know that. I think you might like the next chapter, as its going to move a week into the future of the game, and will feature the next character that will bite the dust.**

**2.) Doctorwhofan12345 - I'm glad you're enjoying the story. The idea of doing a sequel at least, to this story, has been put on the table now thanks to you. For now though, my main focus is on this story.**

**3.) Lozz90 - Yeah, I have both of the games and they're pretty unique to the series. My only complaint in the game would have to be the infection system, it pretty much makes it where you have to be mindful of your time. Of course, that's not a bad thing, but it still didn't make sense. Ah, yes, I remember the leech guy. He was pretty confusing at first, but after playing the game for a bit, I finally figured out how to deal with him. Want to know something even worst? Once you dealt with him, if one of your partners died, they could have potentially become another leech zombie.**


	5. Chp Five: Hunter or Hunted?

With the release of the now fifth chapter of this story, I wanted to start this off by thanking all of those who have been checking out my story. I'm shocked at how well received this story has been, and I can guarantee you that its only going to get more interesting from here on in. This chapter features what is going to be the second incident in the attacks dubbed in the game as the "Cannibal Murders". Lastly, does anyone else see the irony that the date of this post and the date in the game are exactly alike? Lawls. Enjoy!

**Update (7/31/2015):** Edited the chapter as per usual on the advice of a reviewer. Hope its better.

**Chapter Five: Hunter or Hunted?**

_May 27th, 1998._

_4:35 P.M._

Leaves crunched under his boots as he stopped next to a withered tree. Sweat dripped into his eyes as he tried, again, to get his bearings straight. Jason Mallet leaned against the tree, searching the area around him for any sign of where he might be. It was just his luck that his GPS broke an hour ago, it looked as if he would be hunkering down beneath the starlight if he didn't find his way back to his tent soon.

For the last two days, Jason had been out here hunting deer with his old hunting rifle. He was going to sell the meat at his butcher shop in the city. It was something that he did every year around this time. A lot of people in the city did not know how to hunt or did not have the time to, so when he would go out on his hunts, he'd bring back enough to sell at his shop as well. It generated extra revenue for him and his family, abling them to have a bit of extra money once the bills were paid for the month.

Looking around at the endless sprawl of trees, he began to wonder if he was even in the right area anymore. Chasing that buck for the last two hours had really did more harm than good it would seem. He'd been so intent on catching it, that he'd failed to even realize that he was in an area that he was unfamiliar with. Hopefully he'd be able to find his way back before dark. Who knew, maybe he'd get lucky and would come across that buck again before making his way back to camp. If not, well, he'd definitely be sleeping under a tree tonight.

At least the sky above him was clear, not a cloud in sight, which was good because the last thing he wanted was for it to start raining. The weather itself wasn't bad either. A tad bit chilly, but he was wearing a jacket so it was not as if he wasn't prepared for anything.

As a child, his father had taught him to read his surroundings to know where he was at and know his way through the area. Not having to rely on technology came in handy in a situation particular to the one he was in. But there was something strange about this place, it looked different than he remembered. Maybe it was just his old age letting its presence be known, it wouldn't be the first time that this had happened to him.

All around him was quiet, just the way that he liked it. Jason supposed that this was sort of a vacation away from his tough life in the city. Out here, he didn't have to worry about bills or if the shop was going to sell enough produce in order to make enough money at the end of every month. No, out here he was just a regular guy who was hunting, and there wasn't any other way that he would have it.

Shouldering his rifle, he moved down the trail that he was on, splashing through the muck. A few yards ahead of him, there was a fork in the path that would take him to the left or right. Judging by the placement of the sun in the sky, he concluded that it was probably best for him to take the path on his right. And so that was the way he went, taking care to be as quiet as possible on the chance that he came across any game while he was walking.

You could never come out here and not expect to run into an animal, it was a given that you would. Naturally, any food would attract them to you, and those little buggers would sniff you from here to Sunday if only to find something to eat. Which left the question that begged for an answer. Where were they?

The quietness of the forest seemed out of the ordinary to him when he noticed it finally, but now that he'd had a moment to let it sink in, it really struck him as strange. Not a single animal in sight. It was as if all of the animals had up and left, disappearing without a trace. It didn't make sense. There had to be an explanation for why this was happening, and it scared him to even begin to imagine what could be behind it.

The Arklay Mountains was home to numerous types of animals and insects, as well as being considered one of the most popular places on the east coast for sight seeing. There were several people, his wife being one of those people, who depended on the tourists that visited the city around this time of the year. Sometimes, you couldn't even go into your own backyard without finding a deer, fox or raccoon looking for something to snack on.

Being so use to this, in a way it frightened him to not see any animals running across the path or to see a bird flying in the sky. His hands trembled, as the unnatural quietness of his surroundings closed in around him and the world seemed to shrink in around him. Even for someone like him who scarcely became frightened by anything, Jason found it unprecedented. There was just something that wasn't right about this place.

_What the?!..._

Ducking down in the middle of the path, he strained his ears to listen again for the soft noise of something off to his right. There was a silhouette on the other side of the bushes, rummaging around and making soft noises. Unshouldering his rifle, he slowly rose up and began to move forward at a snails pace. If it was something worth catching, he did not want to scare it off. And if it was some sort of dangerous animal, he'd be able to defend himself from it easily if it tried to attack him.

He could see it through the bushes, it was a buck, easily a four pointer and a lot bigger than the one he had been tracking earlier. Easing his finger over the trigger, he aimed down the sights and waited until he had it lined up a good shot. Sucking in a deep breath of air, he softly exhaled and was about to pull the trigger, when something startled the buck. Before he knew it, the thing had taken off and was nowhere to be found.

"Damn," He cursed, clutching the rifle in his hand. "Should've taken the shot while I had it." Jason then turned to look around, something had to of scared it off, leaving the hunter curious as to what it could be that had done so.

Walking over to the bush where it had been at just a moment before, he knelt down to see what it had been doing. There were bits of berries and leafs strewn about, it looked as if it had been in the middle of a snack when whatever it was that had made the noise set it off. It still didn't explain what it was that had alerted it, and forced it to flee. Nor did it explain the fact that he had not even heard anything himself.

It made his stomach twist into a knot, a trickle of sweat rolling down his neck as he tightened his grip on the rifle.

He thought he could hear shuffling from somewhere in the distance, like the sound of a drunkard sluggishly walking down a hallway. The sound of branch's snapping and leafs rustling followed next, there was definitely someone here and they weren't that far away. This could possibly explain the nonexistence of the animals in the area, but he was reluctant to fully accept that. Whoever they were, they sure didn't care that they were making so much noise from what he could tell. They were dragging their feet pretty badly.

Maybe if he found them, he could tell them that they needed to leave the area because they were scaring away all of the animals.

"Is someone there!?" He called out.

No answer.

It made him wonder if he was okay.

Why hadn't the person answered him?

_Maybe they're hurt and can't talk? They could need my help, I should at least go and see if they need help either way. I can't just leave them out here by themselves if there is something wrong with them._

Starting back towards the path, he decided that he was going to walk down a little further and try to see if he could see who or what was making the noise. It wouldn't do good for him to try to find him in the middle of the trees with so little visibility, the best thing for him to do was just walk the path. This way, if he found himself in any danger, he would have more room to maneuver in.

A few yards ahead of him, he could still hear the sluggish movement off to his right. He also caught vague glances of whoever it was. It was definitely a person, most likely male judging from their height, and possibly homeless. Jason felt compelled to see if they needed anything, even something as simple as giving them some money so that they would not go hungry. He'd always been a generous man throughout his life, helping out people who could not help themselves.

"Sir, are you okay!?"

Still no response.

Where they deaf?

If not, then why did they not hear him?

Deciding that he could no longer just wait for the person to reveal himself, he was about to slip in between the trees, when suddenly the man came stumbling out onto the path in front of him.

The person that stumbled onto the trail in front of him looked like he had seen better days than this one. He was dressed in a lab coat that was stained with filth, and was missing a shoe. He stumbled along the trail, away from Jason and towards where the trail turned to the right up ahead. It was like he hadn't even noticed that Jason was there. Instead, being led by some drunken stupor that was taking him god knows where.

Still, he couldn't leave the man out here, so Jason started after him.

For someone who gave off the vibe of being drunk, he noted that this man sure did move fast. By the time he had even covered half the distance to where the man had come out onto the trail in front of him, the guy was already turning the corner of the trail. It forced Jason to have to jog with the rifle in his hands, making enough noise to wake a bear out of hibernation as he moved down the trail.

When he made it around the turn in the trail, he saw the man ahead of him. He was down on his knees, half hidden by a bush. It sounded like he was eating something, he could hear the soft tearing of flesh, followed by this inhuman guttural sound coming from him. Cautiously approaching him, Jason was now standing directly behind him, and noticed for the first time that there was something seriously wrong with this man.

It must have been the smell that did it for him, this foul, putrid smell that made him want to throw up. He realized that it was coming from the man himself. It reminded him of the smell of something that was dead. Getting a better look at the man, he also noticed that his skin was deathly pale, and was cracked in several places. This guy was the epitome of the walking dead, but this somehow did not stop him from being knee deep in the stomach of a deer.

For a moment, he forgot where he was and froze, unable to take his eyes off of the scene in front of him. All he could do was stand there and stare, gaping at what you would only see in those old B horror movies from the 80's. There was so much blood pooled around the man, it had already soaked through his clothes and was beginning to produce multiple trails of the crimson liquid away from its source.

_Dear god..._ He didn't know what to think of what he was seeing, and most certainly found no way he could even comprehend what it was. _He's... eating it!_

Somewhere in the woods, the soft snap of a twig brought the strange man from his meal and slowly, he turned in Jason's direction. When he opened his mouth, he revealed a home of blackened teeth. Then a soft moan escaped. A frightened gasp found its way out of Jason, watching as he slowly rose to his feet and then started slowly towards him. It raised one of its arms, which he noticed was necrotic and partially eaten itself.

The look in his eyes were blank, the pupils glossed over with the appearance of a white film. It didn't see Jason in front of him, all it saw was another source of food it wanted.

Jason wasn't going to give it the chance though, that was if only he could get his legs to move.

_Come on... move!_

He still wouldn't move.

His body was to paralyzed with fear.

The ghastly smell of the putrid breath snapped him out of his fear just in time, stumbling back and avoiding the man taking a chunk clean out of his face. He shoved the man back, watching as he fell down to the ground with a thud. Seemingly unaffected by this, another moan escaped him as his skeletal hands pushed him up from the ground and he noce again began slowly marching towards him once more.

Bringing his rifle up, he aimed down the barrel directly at the man. "Get back! Don't come any closer!" He fired off a round from the gun, the bullet going over the man's shoulder. Any normal person would have stopped the moment the bullet was fired, but this guy was having none of it. His ears were ringing, making it hard for him to focus as he reloaded the chamber and once more took aim. "That was a warning shot, asshole. I mean it! Don't come any closer!"

Whether this guy was just plain stupid or didn't give a rats ass about him firing the rifle, Jason found that he did not give one shit. All he was concerned about was getting as far away from him as possible. He backed up slowly, keeping the rifle raised at the man in case he got to close. He wasn't going to risk such a close call as before, if the guy kept at it, Jason was going to do the only thing he could think to do. Put the guy out of his misery.

Misery, it was quite the precise term for the state that this guy was in. He smelled like putrefied meat on a hot day, flies buzzing around and stinking up the place. Oddly enough, he looked like it as well. It was almost comical, if one could call it that, that this man looked like one of those shamblers out of a Romero flick. Even down to the filthy clothes, he had an air about him that said it clear as day.

Taking aim with the gun, he raised it and was prepared to shoot the man. Self defense went a long way when covering what constituted fearing for your life, even something as outrageous as trying to eat another person. It didn't make it right in his book of course, he'd never take somethings life unless it was to put food on the table at home. This however, was entirely different. This man intended to harm him, and there was no way he was just going to allow that to happen.

The first bullet ripped through his chest, right above his rib cage and splattering in a hail of blackish blood out the back. Dark, black blood drippled down in a single rivulet from his dirty scrubs. He flew back, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Pulling back the slide and allowing the next one to fill up the chamber, he wasted no time making sure the gun was reloaded. He allowed himself to relax, a sigh escaping him as the tension eased from his shoulders.

A twitch just at the edge of his peripheral vision, followed by a gurgling moan let him know that it was far from over. He watched in horror, as the man whom he'd just put a bullet in slowly rise to his feet as if nothing had even happened to him. He just stared at Jason with those blank, milky white eyes that gave him the fucking creeps. Then, as he'd done before, he slowly began that staggering death march towards him.

In one fluid moment, a loud bang rang out all around him. The bullet caught him right above the left eyebrow, obliterating the top of his skull and throwing him backwards on the floor of the forest. Once his body had settled on the ground, a puddle of blackened blood began to flow beneath him. He noticed his body was as stiff as a board, no longer moving. Then again, a gunshot to the head would do that to anything.

"I-I... I can't believe I just did that." He whispered, letting the gun lower to the ground.

_No, I had to do it._ He finally told himself after a full minute had passed, trying to rationalize what he had just done. _It was him or me. There's nothing wrong with defending yourself... from a guy... who wants to eat your face._

Whether this was true or if he was just trying to make himself believe what he had done was the right thing, he didn't know.

What he did know was that someone had just tried to kill him, had wanted to hurt him. He wasn't going to allow that. It would be a cold day in hell before he would willingly let someone hurt him, not when he was able to defend himself. Still, there was that remorse there that he had at having to kill the man.

He had to of been on some kind of drug, maybe PCP or meth, something along the lines of those kind of drugs. The way he looked, a meth addict wasn't far off. It was no surprise that the man hadn't tried to mug him before, back when he'd first spotted him in the woods. People like that usually were psychotic, erratic, and would do some of the most insane things when whacked out on that junk.

Crouching next to the body, he began go dig through the contents of his pockets to locate anything that would give him an idea of who this guy had been. In the back pocket of his jeans, he found a leather wallet. Flipping through the info, he found a drivers license registered to a Steven Edwards. Apparently the man lived in out of state judging by the registered state, but then why was he here? Dressed the way he was, it was hard to believe that this man was down here on a vacation.

Another card fell out of the wallet and onto the floor of the forest. Picking it up, he wiped the dirt off of it and looked to see what it was. The black and red symbol of the Umbrella corporation immediately caught his eye. The man must have been a doctor or researcher, something along the lines of that. It didn't explain why he was out here in the middle of the forest though, the Umbrella research lab was all the way back in the city. There was no reason for him to even be out here.

The question that he really should ask himself was what exactly _was_ he doing out here. Umbrella was known for being very secretive though. Being one of the largest producers of medicine, military weapons and cosmetic products, it could be assumed that they did a lot of activities under the radar. Not wanting their competitors to know what they were doing, and doing it in the oddest of places.

Another thought that occurred to him was the forest itself. A lot of the herbal plants that they used for their medical research grew right up under their noses in the Arklay Mountains. It wasn't something that he knew to be true, but it was either naturally born herbs or cultivated by Umbrella themselves, Arklay serving as the most viable environment for them to be grown in. However, he couldn't be sure. Either way, he didn't care. It was none of his business. The only thing he cared about was making sure that the cops found out about this creep as soon as possible.

Easier said than done of course.

He had to make it back to his campsite first, then get his truck and head back into town so that he could find a phone to call the authorities.

Very time consuming, but necessary.

Letting out a sigh, Jason figured that it was probably best for him to get moving if he had any hope of finding his campsite before nightfall. With the likelihood that another person being sick just like Edwards, he did not want to stick around any longer than what he needed to.

And so that was what he did, heading back down the path the way he had come, the now empty rifle slung over his shoulder. Staring up at the sky above, he was able to tell that he needed to keep in the general direction opposite of where he'd first been at. If he kept track that way, he should soon find his way back before night fall hopefully.

Once he was sure that he was going in the right direction, he allowed his gaze to lower to the path to make sure that there was nothing obstructing the path that he would trip over. He noticed something odd that stood out in the path, that made him feel like something wasn't right. The imprints of his own hiking boots were overlapped with smaller, more canine tracks. Something had been right behind him, so quiet that he had not evewn noticed it during the commotion just minutes before.

_What the fuck?..._ Using one of his hands to block out the glaring sun, he saw that it was in fact canine tracks. Jason could make out the thin lines of nails in the dirt, despite the mix up. It was odd. Not many wild dogs or wolves lived in Arklay. So what was it doing out here then? _More importantly, where could it have gone?_

He felt the sudden sensation of being watched creep up his back, hairs standing up on the back of his neck and a bead of swear rolling down his forehead. He looked around slowly, the dense forest feeling strangely haunting in broad daylight.

That was when he heard the growling from all around him begin, a symphony of hellish calls making goosebumps pebble his skin as the bushes on either side of him began to rustle. The world around him shrunk, in a flash he found himself sweating profusely, fear overtaking him once more. All at once, it was like being attacked by that man again, only this time, he did not have a rifle to stop it with.

Without a seconds thought, he turned and ran.

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**For those of you who want to know, the Mallet's are a canon family within the series, and although the husband is never named or mentioned, I imagine this is what his job might have been. The Mallets appear as playable characters in the Outbreak sub series of Resident Evil and are featured in the Flashback scenario as bonus characters that you encounter if you meet certain requirements at the beginning of the level. The wife, whose name is Regan, is both an Alyssa and a Yoko type. The Yoko type features an injury on the arm, but its unknown if its a wound resulting from an infected B.O.W. or just a cut itself, so its unclear exactly if she died or not. If the latter is the case, then she and her daughter are survivors of the Raccoon City Incident. The daughter, Lucy, is playable only through modding.**

**I want to also announce that this will be my last chapter for this story for a while. I need to take a break from this story for the summer, find some new inspiration for future chapters and perhaps even look over any previous chapters for things that I can improve upon in it. Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'm abandoning the story, I just need some time away from it to focus on some things going on in real life.**

**Review Corner:**

**1.) Jan Lee - Thanks for taking the time to leave such a detailed review of the things I can improve the chapter with. To be honest, I'm surprised that there were so little things that needed it, it makes me happy to know that I did quite a few things right with this chapter.**

**2.) Doctorwhofan12345 - Yes, that was most definitely Kevin. I wanted him to have a brief appearance in the chapter so that there would be some connections to other Outbreak characters in the story.**


	6. Chp Six: Cabin in the Woods, Part One

**Chapter Six: Cabin in the Woods, Part One**

_May 29th, 1998._

_2:49 P.M._

The car rolled along the narrow dirt path at a slow pace, going over bumps and splashing through mud puddles from the summer rains earlier in the day.

Above, the sky was thick with grey clouds that foreshadowed another shower of rain with the hour. The forest all around was dead silent, say for the humming of the car's engine as it continued down the dirt path. Wind blew lightly, rustling branches and scattering leaves. Sparse rays of sunlight slipped in through the tangle of branches that hung above, bathing the forest floor in dark, misshapen shadows that seemed out of place in what should have been a lovely summer day.

Sitting in the driver's seat of the truck, Peter Smith took a light drag from the cigarette that was currently nestled in between the first two digits of his right hand, and flicked the ashes out the cracked window. His sandy blonde hair was tucked neatly under a baseball hat, hiding what was the beginning of a bald spot. Sporting a faded denim jacket, it made him look like a lumberjack with his thick beard and large hands.

You wouldn't be far off in assuming this either.

The father of a lovely nine year old daughter, he did in fact work for a logging company as one of their drivers. It was an okay job, all he did was make sure the trees were securely held in place by the straps when he picked up his load, then he drove them to their destination. He got to meet some interesting people also, it made his job more enjoyable, and some of the best food you could find in the country happened to be at the small diners he came across during his trips.

When his wife died three years ago after a yearlong battle with cancer, Peter had made it his life to make sure that their daughter had everything that she needed. The days were long, sometimes he came home to exhausted to do anything, and in the end he hardly ever did spend the time with his daughter that he wanted to. Still, in the end it was worth it to make sure that she didn't go without.

That was the whole point of them coming out here this weekend, so that they could reconnect and find some common interests. He wasn't sure what would come of this, but knew that it had to be better than what it currently was. Jess had been acting out, misbehaving at the daycare that he sent her to when he was out on the road. Something had to be done, and this was the last chance for him to find out what was going on before he would have to take her to see a therapist.

"So, what's this place like?" Jess asked from her spot in the passenger seat. She was playing with a doll; it had been a present for her on Valentine's Day when he'd had to work. "Is it beautiful?"

"Sure is," He told her, smiling. "It actually was one of the places where your mother and I had one of our first dates at."

"Really?"

Peter nodded.

"Yes, really."

Up ahead through the clearing, he could make out the wooden gate that marked where the property of the cabin was at. It was hardly noticeable, unless you were paying attention and saw the old wind-chimes that were dangling from it. Over the last year, foliage had grown up on one side, and blended part of it in well with the large tree that was next to it. Stopping the truck in front of the fate, he quickly got out and unlocked it. The gate swung open with a loud creek from the rusty hinges, and then they were on their way through.

Driving up the short path, he parked his truck under the weathered, old shed that was to the right of the cabin.

Killing the engine, Peter got out.

Walking around to the side of the truck, he grabbed two duffel bags out of the bed, and then joined Jess who was climbing down from her seat in the truck.

"You ready?"

Jess nodded.

"Mmhm."

Taking her small hand in his, they walked up to the cabin and entered through the front door.

Back when he and Francine had come up here before Jess had been born; it had been so much fun for the two of them. Sitting up late at night, drinking wine in front of the fireplace and eating a thick, juicy steak together. It made him truly cherish the memories that he had with his wife, and made him eager for the ones he would be making with his daughter.

The cabin itself was quite a beautiful sight to behold. Although it wasn't that big, it was still spacious enough for his simple tastes. With just two small bedrooms, there was just enough room for basic furniture to have been put in it. The kitchen itself was part of the living room, a line down the center marking where one ended and the other began. The carpet had been ripped up a couple of years before their last visit, and was replaced with hardwood flooring. Two couches' and a coffee table were in the center of the room, a carpet in the center where the fireplace was at in front of it all. On either side to the left were doors that led to the bedrooms and one small door that led to the single bathroom.

Standing behind him, Jess looked around the cabin with a look of awe on her cute little face. It had been the first time he'd ever brought her up here, so all of this was new to her. When he had first told her they would be going on vacation at the cabin, she'd been very excited. He figured that it would also help her with her problems while at daycare as well. A break away from it was probably what she needed after all.

"Wow, it's amazing!" She exclaimed, releasing his hand and running around the living room. Her face was lit up, excited at finally not being cramped up in the truck any longer.

It made him feel good inside, seeing Jess enjoying herself. With the hardships the two of them faced, this was a good opportunity for her to relax and be a kid for once.

"You go look around the cabin for a bit," He told her as he carried their bags over to the couch, laying them down next to it. "I'm gonna' go check out the generator in the shed."

A giggle from Jess was all he needed, and then Peter was heading towards the back door.

Through the back door, there was a short path that wound around the side of the house to where the shed was at. It was just large enough for a single person to step inside, which wasn't that big when one thought about it. Several lines ran from the top of the shed, all the way to the side of the house where it was fed in through the exterior wall of the cabin. Inside of the shed, there was very little in the way of tools and other various objects that hung on the walls, with there being just enough room for the generator situated in the middle.

Kneeling down in front of the generator, he began flipping some switches, and within moments, a soft hum came from it, the engine buzzing to life for a single moment before dying. Muttering a curse word, Peter flipped the switch back and forth once more, maybe that this time it would work.

And it did.

The single bulb that hung from the ceiling flickered to life, lighting the small space up for him to see. He was surrounded on either side by sharp objects, rusted from years of neglect. Some of them looked ancient, probably dating all the way back to the 70's. Touching one of them, he felt the rough surface of the blade, cringing at the prospect of the diseases that could be gotten from cutting himself with it. He should probably get back to the cabin anyways; he didn't want to leave Jess alone longer than what he had to. So, he made sure that it had a sufficient amount of fuel in it, and then headed back to the cabin.

As he was leaving the shed, Peter saw something out of the corner of his eye. Turning towards the forest, he looked around; searching the trees for whatever it was that he had seen.

"Hello? Is someone there!?" He called out, but there was no response. Not that he expected a response, but it made him wonder what it was he had seen if anything at all.

Perhaps it was just exhaustion settling in, the ride to the cabin had been pretty long, and he did feel a bit tired. Jess could probably use a nap herself, so he wouldn't have to worry about her getting into anything while he got some rest.

_Let's not be too hasty_, he warned as he rubbed his eyes. _What if it was a bear? Or maybe a wild dog?_

The chances of it being either was doubtful as both tended to stay away from a populated area unless they were in search of food. He'd never seen what happened during a bear attack, but had been told by one of his hunting buddies that it was a pretty scary experience. Definitely not something that he wanted Jess to experience if he could help it. If anything happened, there was a rifle over the fire place that he could use to protect himself and Jess. Hopefully, it would not come to it.

Walking back down the path, he entered through the backdoor and made his way to where the kitchen was at. The door to the refrigerator was hanging open; the top of Jess's brunette curls was just visible at the top. She was unscrewing the top off of a bottle of water, taking a long drink from it and placing the bottle in the interior of the door so that it could get cold.

"Hey, kiddo."

Standing on her tip-toes, Jess peaked over the top of the door at him. "Hey, I noticed you got the power turned on. Mind helping me put the food and drinks up?"

Walking over to the counter, he opened one of the bags and began to take out the contents of it. It was mostly healthy food such as vegetables, red meats and fruit. Growing up, his parents had fed him whatever it was that they could get their hands on. Peter had been quite chunky growing up, only slimming down once he reached adolescence. He didn't want it to be the same for Jess, so Peter made sure that there was always a healthy choice of foods for her to eat.

"Did you get my juice?" Jess asked absentmindedly, sorting out the vegetables and fruits.

"It should be in there somewhere," He told her, throwing away the bags. "Have you checked the cooler in the truck?"

"No, not yet."

"I probably should've brought it in, eh?" Chuckling softly, he just watched his daughter for a moment.

Giving him a look of impatience that could only come from a child, Jess sighed and walked past him and towards the front door.

The juice that she spoke of was this special blend of fruits and vegetables, not something that Peter himself liked, but he was glad that she did. She drank it with everything, and it was a lot better than the soda's that they sold at the stores. He couldn't imagine drinking Pepsi or Coke, and the damages that it could do to a person's body.

While she was outside, he wandered over to the living room and stood for a moment. All he could think about was the moments that he and Francine shared before Jess was born. It made him want to cry, but he refused to let any emotion show. Not right now. He didn't want Jess to see him like that. It would just raise more concerns from the girl, and Peter knew that she was already worried about him as it was. He couldn't help it really, there were just so many memories, and he knew that they wouldn't be able to make them anymore.

Hanging on the wall to his left was a photo from their first vacation as a couple at Lake Harmony. They were standing on the end of the pier, he had a fishing pole in one hand and she looked positively stunning in her beach dress. She looked so happy, with a wide, beaming grin. In her hands she held a Bass that she'd caught herself. It was one of the biggest fish he'd ever seen, and there was no hiding the excitement he felt as they had stood there while their friend, Jessica, took a picture of them.

Peter remembered the day well enough because it had rained an hour later. Although the vacation had been ruined and they'd been forced to stay at their hotel the rest of their stay, they'd found other things to do. Sometimes, the simplest of things made for the most romantic. They'd sat on the balcony, enjoying some beer and watching the rain fall. They'd snuggled together, Francine wearing one of his sweaters to cover the top of her body. Afterwards, they'd made love. Making memories that would last for the rest of their lives.

_Or rather, for the rest of yours..._

Behind him, the door to the cabin swung open again and Jess walked back inside.

In her arms, she held a gallon of the juice that she drank.

"Can you carry this? It's pretty heavy."

"Sure." He said, taking the gallon of juice from her small arms and carried it into the kitchen for her.

"Thanks."

"I was thinking," He was saying as he closed the door to the refrigerator after putting the juice inside of it. "Maybe we could go down to the lake. What do you think? It's still early in the day, we'd have plenty of time and I could cook us some hot dogs on the grill."

Jess laughed, turning to her father. "Sounds like fun. But maybe we could find some soy dogs? That other stuff isn't good for you."

"Oh, right." Smiling sheepishly, Peter felt silly for not realizing this. "You know, they're probably soy dogs anyways. Didn't you get them at the store while we were there?"

She nodded.

"Then it's settled," He told her. "But first, let's get some things."

"Things?"

"Yeah," Walking past her, he reentered the living room and crossed to a closet next to the bedrooms. "There's this barn down near the lake, it has a boat and other stuff locked up inside of it. Your mother and I knew the man who owns it, he said we could use it whenever we come to the cabin."

"A boat? Cool."

Opening the door to the closet, Peter was immediately forced against the wall as a cluster of objects rained down from the other side of the door. Once it was over, he found himself lying on the floor beneath miscellaneous junk. Lucky for him, it was nothing to dangerous. A sigh escaped him, his head resting against the hardwood. With some help from Jess, he cleared some of the debris so that he could crawl out from under it.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Jess asked as he got to his feet.

She was scared.

So was he.

Smiling, he hugged her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Guess its been a long time since I've been up here, I forgot how much junk was in the closet."

His daughter was quivering in his arms, a small sniffling sound coming from her as she buried her face into his chest. Placing his right hand on top of her head, he kissed her softly and consoled her, letting her know everything was going to be okay. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon, and Jess was already scared that he was going to leave her like her mother had done. Time and time again, Peter had assured her that this would never happen.

Looking up at him, Jess smiled and used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears. "Good," She sniffed, then laid her head gently on his chest once more.

Buried beneath the pile of junk that had fallen, he noticed the end of a picture frame sticking out. Curiosity getting the better of him, he carefully pulled it from beneath the pile and used his thumb to brush the dust that obscured the photo. Upon doing so, Peter was surprised to find that it was another photograph of Francine, this one was of when she'd been pregnant with Jess at the baby shower. She'd given him hell for taking that picture. Her hand was thrown up, half to cover her face and the other to block the photo from being taken.

He didn't know what it was that caused it, maybe it was because he'd been keeping it bottled in for so long. Tears began falling down his cheeks, a torrent of emotions that he'd been fighting against for months coming to the surface. Having tried to stay strong for Jess, all he could think about was putting her well being before his own. It was what had kept his emotions from being so strong the last three years.

In his arms, Jess watched as her father had a moment to himself, her young mind wondering what could be causing him to cry. She didn't see any cuts on him, and he had just told her that he was okay.

"Why are you crying, Daddy?" She asked.

Her words broke him from his sobbing, his sad eyes staring into hers. "Its nothing. I-I'm fine, baby." He told her, wiping away the tears on his face with the sleeve of his jacket.

A look of disbelief passed over her face.

Ever since she was six, Jess could tell when her father was trying to play something off, and knew that this was one of those times. However, she figured that her father was suffering enough at the moment and did not need for her to make it any worse than it already was. So, she just remained silent, taking the picture from him and looking at it.

Peter watched her as she did this, thinking about how much Jess looked exactly like her mother. She had the same hair as her mother, and took more after her than she did him.

"Is that Mom?" Jess asked, pointing to the woman in the picture.

He nodded.

"Yeah, that's her." He told her. "That's when she was pregnant with you, at the baby shower just a week before you were born."

Putting an arm around his shoulder, she continued to stare at the photo in silence.

"You know," She said after a moment. "I think Mom would want us to move on from her death. To be happy, and remember her for the person she was, and not what she had become when she.. died."

His eyes lit up as he heard Jess speak, the young girl was far beyond her years, beaming with intelligence that not even he himself possessed. Oh, how it made his heart swell with pride. Jess was absolutely right, and it surprised him that it had taken a child's words for him to realize this. It made him so proud to be her father, very proud indeed.

"I love you," He whispered to her softly, kissing her on the head.

Giggling, she wiped at the spot on her head and then stood up. "I love you to, Daddy." She walked to the door, before turning back to look at her shocked father. "Let's get going, those hot dogs aren't going to cook themselves ya' know."

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**In the opening scene of the first Resident Evil, Chris talks about families being attacked by groups of unidentified people. This, is the first of two families that will be attacked in my story that will be based on this information. This chapter served to set up what is going to happen, and the one that follows this will conclude the events of what will happen to Peter and Jess. I've already got an idea of what I want to have happen, its just a matter of typing it up.**

**Review Corner:**

**1.) Jan Lee - You are without a doubt, the blessing of my life when it comes to writing this story. You always help me out so much with corrections, and even stuff that can be added to the story.**

**2.) Doctorwhofan12345 - I'm glad you liked it. I guess you didn't read it correctly or I missed adding some details, but, Jason IS a hunter. He owns a butcher shop, and as explained, only puts what he catch's out in the shop at certain times of the year.**


	7. Chp Seven: Cabin in the Woods, Part Two

**Chapter Seven: Cabin in the Woods, Part Two**

_May 29th, 1998._

_5:30 P.M._

The smell of grilled hot dogs filled the air, juices spurting out and sizzling on the coals as Peter pierced it with his fork. Each tube of processed meat was a dark red from the heat of the flames beneath it, giving it a nice crisp that was a must for that excellent crunch when taking a bite. By no means was he a chef, but he found that if there was one thing he could do in the culinary arts, it was cook on the grill.

After cleaning up the mess he'd made in the cabin, both him and Jess had gotten stuff together for dinner at the lake. Most of what they would need was already there, all they'd needed was a change of clothes and the food they were going to eat. Then it was a short trip down the trail to the shore where the docks were at, a perfect place for them to spend the evening, and perhaps even talk some.

Jess was down by the water swimming. After changing into her swim suit while he was firing up the grill, she'd told him that she was going for a swim while he prepared their food. He could hear her splashing in the water, clearly enjoying herself.

He had told her to make sure to stay within eye sight. If anything were to happen to her, Peter wanted to be able to get to her as quickly as possible.

The lake was rather quiet today. Not too many people came up here anymore, not since that body was fished out of the lake five years ago. Most people avoided it, but any sensible person like him knew that everything was perfectly okay. It's clear, rippling waters were no better than Victory Lake, which he'd been told by a family friend to avoid going to after they'd spotted some sketchy people there a few weeks ago.

Casting a glance down at the hot dogs, he saw that they were done and began to stack them onto a paper plate. Carrying them over to the picnic table where their stuff was at, he sat the steaming dogs next to the condiments. A pack of buns were sat to the right, next to two gallon jugs of water that was kept in the cooler.

"Jess, it's ready!" He called out across the shore.

"Coming!" Jess yelled back,

Down at the shore, Jess came splashing out of the water after he'd called out to her. Walking over to the picnic table, she sat down. Water dripped down her slender body, wetting the spot where she sat. Grabbing a towel from her bag, she wrapped it around himself. The breeze was soft, sending a chill down her spine and causing goosebumps to breakout on her skin.

"How was the water?" Peter asked, grabbing one of the hot dogs and placing it on a bun. He grabbed some ketchup and mustard, squirting the liquids onto the top and then setting it down on a paper plate. "I hope it's as good as it looked from here."

Fixing her own food, Jess turned to him and said, "The water was great, I can't wait to get back in."

Peter laughed, nodding.

He'd always been like that when he was her age. Sitting at the picnic table after going for a swim, he'd always been anxious to get back in the water. When he was done, his mother would scold him, reminding him that he needed to wait half an hour after eating or he'd get a cramp. Being the child, Peter had done as he was told and didn't ever think twice of it.

"You thinking of getting in after we eat?" Jess asked.

"I haven't really thought of it." He confessed. Truth be told, he was not planning on getting in the water today. He'd rather let Jess have fun, and then maybe settle in for the night. Smiling, he then said, "Yeah, I think I will."

"Awesome!" Jess exclaimed.

For the next five minutes they ate and talked.

It felt almost normal.

For once he wasn't out on the road, and she wasn't stuck with a babysitter.

They talked about Jess's plans for school, she was planning on trying out for cheer leading when school started and maybe join a club. He made her promise that she'd put her studies before anything else, to which Jess happily exclaimed that she would. It pleased her that he'd approved of it, so Peter knew that he wasn't going to have to worry about whether or not she'd do as he asked her.

"So, any boys at school yet?" He grinned. It scared him to even think that his daughter would be interested in boys at such a young age. However, it wouldn't hurt to ask and see if there was anything going on.

"Maybe," Jess said, blushing wildly and gigging.

"Is that so?"

Jess nodded.

"Well," He continued. "I hope that if there is someone special that I will get to meet them."

Jess said nothing, just giggled more and looked away.

She knew he was trying to squeeze some information of her. He would get nothing though, her lips were sealed.

"Anyways," He decided to change the subject. "How's your dog?"

"Could've left it on a bit longer," Jess teased. "I like mine burnt."

"Gross!" He said childishly.

When they were done eating, he gathered up their leftovers and packed them away in tinfoil. Meanwhile, Jess was dumping their trash into the trashcan that was left near the docks for whoever came up to the lake. Finishing up with his chore, he checked to make sure that everything was in order and waited for Jess to come back.

"I have to pee, where's the bathroom at?" Jess asked.

"There isn't one," He told her, laughing. "Gonna' have to go into the woods, baby."

"Ew, gross! I'm not going in the woods!"

"It's not like there's one nearby, and you'd probably not make it back to the cabin."

Letting out a groan, she stomped her right foot childishly and then let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine, I'll go."

"Okay, but try not to go out to far. If anything happens, I want to be able to reach you quickly."

"Gotcha." She replied as she started towards the woods.

While Jess went about doing her business in the woods, he decided that he'd take the opportunity to change into his swim trunks. Grabbing his clothes from the bag he'd brought with him, Peter walked inside the boat house and closed the door behind him. Nothing to special for an oldie like himself, some beige shorts and a tank top. When he was changed, he put his other clothes in the bag and set them next to the rest of their stuff beside the picnic table.

Having yet returned, he was beginning to wonder what was taking Jess so long. She'd only gone to pee, and it didn't take but a few minutes for someone to do that.

_Maybe she took longer to find a good spot?_

"Honey, everything okay?" He called out.

Silence.

That's when he heard a shrill, girlish shriek coming from the woods.

Immediately, he took off running towards the tree line.

"Jess! Baby, answer me!"

Coming to a stop, he frantically looked around for where Jess was at, but saw nothing. Crouching down low, he studied the ground to search for the outline of his daughter's sandals. Although very faint, he was able to make them out just barely. Not wasting any time, he moved down the path, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious and also watching how much noise he made. If there was some sicko in the woods with them, then he did not want to let him know that he was approaching.

_Just be safe, baby..._

He came to a stop in a clearing ahead, and looked to the right to find a sandal half hidden by the weeds. Picking it up, he saw that it was one of Jess's. The strap was broken. Turning his attention back to where it was discovered, he noticed that the ground was disturbed.

_What's this?..._

There were two sets of footsteps, both Jess and someone else's crossing over each other as they continued down the path. Whoever it was was taking short strides, and judging by the shape of the foot couldn't be any older than him. But there was something strange about it. It was sluggish, like they were drunk and had little control over their motor skills. He needed to move, there was no telling what this drunkard was trying to do to Jess.

Coming to a stop a few feet away from where he'd found the sandal, he looked to his left and froze.

Standing with her back against a tree was Jess, a look of pure terror on her face as three men dressed in filthy clothing closed in on her.

"Get away from her!" He screamed as he rushed forward, shoving the first one to the ground.

Slipping through the gap that the fallen man had made, Peter stood between the group of men and his daughter. Jess had not even noticed him; she was crouched on the ground and was covering her head with her arms. He put out his arms, shielding her from whatever harm they had planned to cause to her.

"Touch her, and I swear to god I will fucking kill you!" He spat defiantly.

The three men either didn't hear him or was completely ignoring him. Each just shuffled forward, an unintelligible groan escaping from them as they reached out for him. Peter rammed his shoulder into the chest of the closest one, knocking him down to the ground. A cold, grimy hand gripped his left arm, and he recoiled in disgust at how clammy his hands felt against his own skin.

Something wasn't right about this group of men. Peter noticed that their ratty clothing was in fact those typically worn by a doctor. Their skin was ghostly pale, and what flesh that was exposed was missing chunks from where it looked like something had attacked them. Eyes covered by cataracts stared emptily at him, no hint of life behind their death stare. A pungent stench was coming from them, the smell of rotted meat coming off of them in waves, making him want to heave up his lunch.

"What the hell is wrong with you people!?" He shouted as the one that was still standing tried to move around him to get Jess.

Jess screamed.

Peter kicked the man in his side, sending him sprawling to the ground. By now, the other two had found their way to their feet and outstretched their bony hands towards them. Grabbing Jess by her wrist, he led her through the gap and around the two men. Another chorus of moans came from behind them as they made their way back to the lake.

"Daddy, something was very wrong with those men!" Jess told her as they came to a stop at the picnic table.

"I know, baby," He said hurriedly, snatching up their bags and shouldering them. "But, we're getting the hell out of here and calling the police."

Jess nodded.

Using his free hand, he ushered Jess forward and the two began making their way back towards the cabin.

Something was telling him that he should've driven his truck out to the lake, now he was wishing that he'd listened to that voice of reasoning. It did not matter though; he would carry Jess on his back if the occasion called for it. And if those men did come to the cabin, he would make sure that it was the last thing that they ever did.

Next to him, Jess threw a look over her shoulder and shouted that the men were following them, and when he cast a glance as well, he saw that this was true. They were already stepping through the tree line and crossing the small space that made up the picnic area. Lucky for him, they walked with a gait that mocked the undead from a Romero film. This was strange, considering that they were supposed to be chasing them.

If they were going to do something, they would have done it when they'd had the chance a few minutes ago. Instead, they now drunkenly howled. One tripped over his own sluggish feet, falling flat on his face in the dirt and lying there. The others continued their slow gait towards them with outstretched arms, the wellbeing of their compatriot was of little concern to them. Perhaps they just didn't care about them.

When they got to the cabin, Peter threw open the door and practically shoved Jess in before slamming it shut behind him.

"Baby," He said as he pulled her down the hallway. Stopping outside of the door that would lead to her room, he knelt down and looked at her. "I want you to hide in your room; don't come out until you hear me knocking on your door. Okay?"

"O-Okay," She whispered and ran to hide in her room.

With Jess safe in her room, he dashed down the hall to where his own room was at and entered. He wasted no time in throwing open the closet and searching for the rifle that he always kept here in case of emergencies. Opening the case, he pulled out the old hunting rifle. Grabbing the box of bullets, he quickly began to load it and even stuffed some of them into the pockets of the shorts he was wearing. Making sure there was one in the chamber, he ran down the hallway to where the phone was at in the kitchen.

The phone was on the wall next to the refrigerator. Picking it up, he cradled it in between his head and shoulders, punching in 9-1-1.

It rang for a few moments before someone on the other line picked up.

"Raccoon City Police Department, this is Rita, how may I help you?"

"Hi, my name is Peter Smith." He said, trying to be as calm as possible. "I'm at a cabin in the Arklay Mountains, my daughter and I am being harassed by some really strange people. Could you send an Officer up here to deal with them?"

"I sure can," Rita responded. "Can you give me a specific location, sir?"

"Yes, we're on a trail off of_—_"

The phone suddenly went dead, and all he heard was the dead tone on the other end.

"Hello? Hello!? Shit!"

A loud banging on the front door of the cabin prevented him from behind able to hear what the operator said next. Looking around the refrigerator towards the door, he saw that it was one of the men who'd been messing with Jess.

_How the hell did they get here so quickly?_

"I've called the police!" He shouted over the banging on the door. "This is your final chance to leave or I will open fire on you!"

They either didn't hear him or just didn't care.

Well, neither did him.

He would defend his life and the life of his daughter, even if it meant shooting these men. There was no way he was going to let either of them become a victim of some perverts madness.

Bringing the rifle level up to his eye, he aimed down the sights of the weapon at the door. He zeroed in on the man's shoulder, deciding that wounding him would make him and friends decide that it wasn't worth it. Taking in a deep breath of air, he slowly exhaled as he wound his finger around the trigger, and softly squeezed it.

The rifle jumped in his hands when the round discharged, almost leaping right out of his grip. The window panel of the door shattered, pieces of glass raining down onto the wooden floor and dark blood splashing on the frame of the door. Reeling backwards, the man fell down to the ground out of sight where Peter could not see him.

Cautiously, he walked towards the bloodied door, peering out at the person. He couldn't believe he'd actually shot them. Like, for real. You'd think that the threat of a firearm would have been enough to deter them and make them leave. This did not seem to be the case. Now, there was a wounded person lying on the ground in front of the cabin, and he wasn't sure what to do next. Hopefully his friends had taken this as a warning to haul ass. If not, there was more than enough ammo to go around.

Opening the door slightly, he wedged the nose of the rifle through the crack and slowly worked his way out the door. He wasn't attacked immediately, so that was a relief. It meant that his friends had run off.

_Thank god..._

Kneeling down next to the man, the first thing he did was feel for a pulse, and was shocked to not find one.

How could this be?

He'd shot the man in the shoulder to wound him, not to kill him. Tracing the entry wound was a no brainer, there was dark red blood running down the man's shoulder, showing the gunshot wound was non-fatal. Exhaling, he laid the rifle on the ground and then began digging through the pockets of his filthy clothes for some form of identification for when the police arrived. Unfortunately, he could not find any. Which meant the cops were going to have themselves a field day with figuring out just what this guy and his friends were up to out here in Arklay.

That ghastly smell that the others had permeated from this man as well. It looked as if he hadn't taken a bath in months, rather abhorrent if you asked him. Covering his mouth and nose, Peter decided that he needed to go check up on Jess to make sure that she was still okay. Then, he'd wait with her in her room until the police arrived.

Grabbing his rifle, he stood up and started for the door, but stopped in his tracks when a hand clamped firmly around his ankle. Looking down, he let out a surprised gasp to see that the man he'd known for a fact was dead a moment before was now pulling himself closer to him. He lunged towards him, snapping his teeth at the exposed skin of his leg, but failing to get his chompers around any of the meat.

"Oh, Christ!"

Losing his footing, he fell against the door of the cabin and the rifle slid several feet away. He could still feel the man's unrelenting grip around his ankle as he tried to shake him off, cursing at him as he used his free foot to kick the man in the face.

"Let go of me, damn it!" He screamed, but his words went unheard.

The man's blackened teeth dug into the sole of his shoes, trying desperately to take a chunk out of it like it was a piece of meat. This quickly spurned him to kick the man harder. After a few kicks, he thought he heard a soft crunch, like something breaking and looked at the man. To his horror, the man's jaw was now unhinged, and hanging limply. The left side of his face was also caved in, black blood and gristle pooling over his shoe, and onto the ground.

Either he didn't care or was too strung out to notice, the man just continued to try to bite Peter's foot with a gaping hole right in the side of his face. His tongue slithered between broken teeth and across the leather, a strange gurgling noise coming from his throat.

"I,"

Kick.

"Said,"

Kick.

"Let,"

Kick.

"go of me!"

With one last kick, the man released his grip on Peter's foot.

He didn't bother to check on the man he'd just kicked to near death, instead stumbling into the house and throwing the door shut behind him.

_What now!?_ He thought, looking around the cabin. _I should probably—_

The sound of glass shattering and a shrill scream came from down the hallway to where Jess was hiding at in her room. Wasting little time, he ran down the hallway and threw his full weight against the door, ramming into it and falling onto the floor with a thud. Groaning, he sat up and tried to shake off the dizzying feeling that he felt after colliding with the door. When the feeling passed a moment later, he remembered why he had done it in the first place and began banging on the door.

"Jess! Baby, open the door!" He called out.

He could hear her struggling, and screaming out to him, but there was nothing he could do. The door wouldn't budge; something had to be pushed over in front of it. He rammed his shoulder into the door over and over to the point where it hurt, but to no avail.

When he came to the conclusion that the door wasn't going to open, Peter ran towards the front door. With the gun in hand, he ran around the side of the cabin to where the window of Jess's room was at. He saw half a man's body (his legs) dangling from the space that the window had once occupied. Black blood ran down the side of the cabin from where shards of glass at cut open the man's belly. He smelled just as bad as his friends, and looked even worse.

Raising the rifle, he took aim at the man's back and pulled the trigger, only to hear the soft _click_ of an empty chamber.

"You gotta' be shittin' me!" He shouted, scrambling to reload the gun as Jess continued to scream for help.

Gun reloaded and ready to kill, Peter lifted up the rifle and took aim. Pulling the trigger, a hole blew open in the man's thigh, blood splashing against the wood.

It didn't even seem to bother him.

Wrapping his hands tightly around the barrel of the rifle, he ran forward and cracked the man across his back with it multiple times. Any ordinary man would've cried out in pain, their backs hot and throbbing from the strike. Not this guy. Even with a gunshot wound, it was like he was invincible.

Tossing the gun aside, he grabbed the man around the belt loop of his pants and tugged as hard as he could. There was a sick, ripping noise, like someone tearing apart meat with their bare hands and then he was falling to the ground with the man lying on top of him. That nauseous smell that had been coming from him magnified in that moment, washing over him like a tidal wave.

Using all of his strength, Peter pushed the body off of him and then rolled over to get away from the pool of blood that had begun to form beneath him. Not that it mattered; his entire body was covered in the man's blood. He had to swallow the bile that threatened to come up. God, that smell. It was enough to make you want to not stop puking until you were puking up nothing more than stomach acid.

Stumbling to his feet, he called out to Jess to let her know that everything was okay, but he did not receive a response from her. Not even an 'okay'. Walking up to what remained of the window, he peered inside.

_No..._

Lying on the floor of the bedroom was Jess; unresponsive and covered in what he knew had to be her own blood. Glass shards cut into the palms of his hands as he leapt through the window, not even caring that he'd just hurt himself. Pushing aside a nightstand, he knelt down next to her and then cradled her in his arms. She was cool to the touch, and let out a soft mewl like a wounded animal when he'd pushed the loose strands of hair out of her face.

"Baby, wake up!" He shook her gently, watching as she began to stir. "It's Daddy. Don't worry, you're safe now!"

Opening her eyes, Jess let out gasp of horror as she writhed in pain in his arms. Her hands shot to her neck where there was a lot of blood at. Lifting her blood stained hair, Peter saw with shock that there was a partial bite mark in between her ear and shoulder blade. The sick fucker had tried to take a bite out of her! He couldn't imagine what would've happened if he'd been a moment too late. Images of Jess dead began to conjure themselves in his mind, but he quickly swept them aside.

"Darling, I need to take a look at it." He snatched a shirt from the floor, tearing it in half and then pressing it against the bite. "Here, hold this there while I go get some peroxide to clean it."

Rushing to the bathroom, it took him all of one minute to get the peroxide and some clean rags before he was back at her side.

"This is gonna sting," He warned, pouring some of the peroxide on one of the wash clothes and pressing it to the wound.

"It hurts!" Jess whined.

"I know, baby, I know," He whispered soothingly. "But it will kill the infection, trust me."

"O-Okay," She said through sobs.

"There, there, it's all over," He assured her as he rocked her in his arms. "Don't worry; the cops are on the way."

"Really?"

He nodded.

Peter hated lying to her, but he wasn't sure if the cops were coming or not. He'd only been able to tell them that he was in the forest, but his location in the forest was what he'd been unable to tell them before the phone suddenly went out. They'd come find them, they just had to.

"Come on, we're getting out of here." He picked her up in his arms and began running for the front door of the house. Jess needed a doctor, there was no way he could wait and hope that the police would be smart enough to have called an EMT to come with them. If they even came at all.

Opening the door to the passenger side, Peter gently laid Jess in the seat and placed the jacket she'd left in the truck earlier across her to try to keep her warm. Rushing around to the driver's side, he got in and started the engine. The engine choked a bit, for a moment it seemed that it would not start. Then, it sputtered to life, and roared dully to let him know that everything was in working order for the moment.

He threw the truck into gear, making a U-shape as he swung the vehicle around to where it was facing the path. Casting a look at Jess who was curled up on the seat, he noticed that she'd started losing color in her face. She must have lost a lot of blood from that guy biting her. God, there was so much blood. Why was there so much blood? Already the rag was soaked through with blood, thin lines of the crimson liquid trailing in between the fingers of her tiny hand. Dropping it back into drive, he pressed his foot—

—the driver's side window was smashed in, a grime covered arm reaching in through the window and grasping his shoulder. Peter recoiled back as the cold fingers wrapped around his arm, crusty nails digging into the soft flesh of his bicep. On reflex, the first thing he did was jab his elbow into the man's head and yelled something he couldn't hear over the voluminous wails that accompanied the onslaught of groping that he was currently suffering.

One jab, another, and another. Blood was running down the side of his arm from where the man's blackened teeth sliced into his skin with each punch he threw at him. It seemed like he would stop, that he was dead set on dragging Peter through the window of the truck. He wouldn't allow it, couldn't, Jess was counting on him to get her to a doctor and there was no way he was going to let her down. Not now, not when it came down to protecting his little girl.

"Get off of me, damn it!" He screamed as his free arm searched around the seat for something to use as a weapon.

Searching the dash board, he grabbed hold of that silly straw that Jess was so fond of and had insisted on bringing it with her. It was one of those toys that could be won out of a cereal box. It was pink, and had the head of something that she called Rini or something Japanese that he'd never heard before. Firmly taking it in his hand, he stabbed him in the eye with it and his eye popped like a grape. Fluid splashed on him, the man released his grip as he fell backwards with a soft sigh.

He didn't bother to stick around to see what happened to the man. Pressing his foot down on the gas, the truck roared to life, tires kicking up dirt and it shot down the path.

"Don't worry, it's all over now." He said five minutes later, more to himself this time than to Jess.

There was no response from her, so he placed a hand to her cheek to see if she was still cold. Her skin was so cold, almost like ice, and felt clammy. It only made him press his foot further down on the gas. Every second counted, precious and desperate to hold onto in this situation. Using his free hand, he lifted up the jacket and saw that her skin was ghostly pale. All of the blood had drained from it, leaving the once youthful face of his little girl looking like a corpse that could be found in the morgue of a hospital.

In a flash, Jess's closed eyes shot open. They were not the large, doe-like brown eyes that reminded him so much of her mother when he looked at her. Instead, they were now like silver coins. They lazily turned towards him, staring at him with this deep longing that couldn't be expressed with words. Around them, the skin had turned bluish in shade and made it look as if she'd been punched in the eyes by an abusive boyfriend.

"Baby, are you—"

Howling with bloodlust, Jess shot across the cab of the truck, launching at him and taking him by surprise. He let out his own howl; only this one was of pure, unadulterated pain. She lunged at him and bit into his neck, tearing away a piece of flesh. Like an animal who feasted with such gluttonous behavior, she quickly and hungrily devoured the piece of meat in her mouth. There was little process of thought in her once curious mind, replaced now by only the basic of needs, the need to feed.

Warm, fresh blood sprayed from the open wound in his throat, and Peter had to fight for control of the speeding truck while also dealing with what was taking place. Words tried to form themselves in his mouth, but the taste of blood in his mouth and the amount of it that clogged his throat, prevented him from being able to do so. He could already feel himself growing tired, holding Jess back by the throat with one outstretched hand and using the other to keep the truck leveled. He couldn't even afford to stop the flow of blood, and Peter knew at any given moment all of this would cease to be relevant.

"J-Jess, stop!" He managed to cry out through the gargle of blood in his throat. "Why are you doing this!?"

That would come sooner than he thought, as something stepped out of the forest and onto the path. He couldn't see who (or what) it was, but he just revved the engine louder and continued forward. The truck slammed hard into the object, blood smearing across the window and then the truck was flying in the air. The truck rolled onto its side, coming back down to the earth and jarring the occupants like coins in a jar as it slid down the path, eventually coming to a stop when it hit a tree.

A soft, hissing noise came from the engine as it died.

Minutes passed in the now silent forest and inside of the cab, movement could be heard. But it was not the movement of the living, a soft, chewing noise could be heard and the sound of tearing flesh as blood began to puddle on the now splintered windshield.

**End of Chapter Notes:**

**Thus comes to end the short lives of the Smith family.**

**Originally, I had planned to let Jess live, but I thought it would work better and help with increasing the current small death toll if they both died. That, and I feel like Umbrella would not want any loose ends. So if she had survived, I have this creepy feeling that she'd of gotten a visit from Chief Irons and we all know how that probably would have went with that sick bastard. I actually liked these two characters of mine, and I was sort of sad to see them die in the end. That's writing though I suppose, some people just have to die.**

**Now, lets talk about the future of this story, and the progress I plan to make in 2016.**

**I'll have already started the next semester of school at this chapters release, and because of that, there will be some very slow updates over the course of the next six months. As of now, I am going to be moving to another story and slowly work out the first five chapters of it. They will not be posted until all have been completed, so this will likely be the last update from me for at least until October. Its going to be set in either the Dead Space or Silent Hill fandom. That's all I plan to reveal about it at the moment.**

**As for whats next for this particular story when I return to it, the next two chapters will bring us back to our main character, Alyssa, and her involvement in searching for Jason Mallet, who disappeared at the end of a previous chapter. She will be joined by Regan Mallet, a character whom I'm sure little people are familiar with. That's what the next few chapter will focus on, and I'm looking for perhaps a good 6-7k word each chapter, maybe a lot more if I deem it necessary for it to be.**

**I will also have the next death take place soon.**

**Anyways, have a great evening and don't forget to let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Also, have a great new years!**

**Review Corner:**

**1.) Jan Lee - Do I need to say anymore? Thanks for being a good friend in 2015 and helping me with the first seven chapters of this story.**

**2.) RE Fan - Wow, thanks for all the reviews. It's much appreciated!**

**3.) Cuda - Thanks.**

**4.) xXxsonicxXx - Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.**


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